#271 When the music player’s shuffle reads your mind

Neil Pasricha

Sometimes it knows exactly how you feel.

Sometimes it knows exactly what you need.

Sometimes it plays a song that is exactly

AWESOME!

— Email message —

“The beauty of sunsets is well-documented. Poems have been written on it. Photographs have been clicked. Many romantic films end with the happy couple walking towards a beautiful sunset. I have seen some beautiful sunsets from my apartment in Bombay and they never cease to amaze me. But, every once in a while, if I wake up early enough during certain times of the year I get to see the moon setting over the Arabian Sea and the only word for it is AWESOME!!!!” – Nita

30 thoughts to “#271 When the music player’s shuffle reads your mind”

    1. OKAY…this is me and that’s not all!
      I’ve been trying to refrain from lines to songs; trying to “Kind of Hush all over the world”, all the while music’s in my mind and a dance whenever the chance. I’m aware with attitude it’s a better part of my authenticity and this is beautiful special to share…
      Tonight I read this quote and thought, first time it’s fitting, I’m submitting:
      “He who sings, frightens away his ills” Cervantes
      How awesome is the timing of this “Shuffle” of Awesome!!!

        1. Yes!!! Chill, thank you for thoughtfully thanking me for sharing!
          I don’t have an ipod, but I do “Shuffle-some”. It’s my signature- as mom,grannie Wendy; all who know me, to break out in song at most anything, anytime, anywhere! When I was young, The Carpenter’s gave me permission with the lyrics of, “Just sing, sing a song!”
          Discovering this beautiful quote by Cervantes, I am given permission to continue to, to be well as I can be!!!

  2. I’ve been following since close to the beginning of the blog, and all along, I’ve been hoping that this would be one of your awesome things. Funny thing is, I hadn’t thought of it in probably a year or so, until today on the bus, my iphone was shuffling through just perfectly. And I thought, “gee, we’re getting kinda close to the end of the awesome things, maybe I should email Neil and suggest this to him” but then I came home and…
    just…
    so..
    much…
    AWESOME
    :)

  4. I just love it when that happens!!!

    Only that my music taste has changed tremendously those last months and suddenly my old favourites aren’t that welcome anymore.

  5. I love things like this. :D Though slightly unrelated, I once visited a webcomic looking for a specific one. I felt the need to just look for it by pressing “random” a lot, but I got to the comic (out of hundreds) on the first try!

    Thanks, inanimate objects, for reading my mind. :p

  7. there was a time when i did my first few 10km running event that i did not set my running playlist. depended on shuffle and it read my running mood.

    and mind you, i had thousands of songs in my ipod. truly magical!
    http://ajbunny.kifli.net

  8. This is my constant everyday awesome thing. Thanks Neil, you remind me everyday to look for the awesome in things.
    Nita, I’ve seen the moon set over the Arabian Sea and it is pretty spectacular. Our city and the world is full of awesome things : )

  9. This is actually the story of my life. I’ve been telling my best friend that my Ipod can read my mind for years! In fact, sometimes when I’m in a weird mood and can’t quite tell what it is, I’ll turn on my shuffle and let the ipod tell me.

  10. Man, and I need this now more than anything.

    Sometimes after a stressful period you need the right music to calm you down, and my iPod is doing that for me.
    Right.
    Now.

    That’s pretty awesome.

  11. i have definitely thought about this before, but it’s kind of a grey area because it’s MY ipod. if i put on a random ipod that would be truly amazing. ahhhhhh what am i talking about? this is awesome too!

  12. I listen to music pretty much all the time, and this is SO true.

    There are some days where it’s completely off and I’ll start to wonder whether or not iTunes really gets me. I’ll think our relationship is just fine and then BAM! It’ll give me stuff I just can’t work with.

    But eventually it gets its act together. It understands my feelings and knows just what to play. I knew iTunes and I were meant for each other.

    1. I was really excited when I first discovered Pandora cause it so got it right for the first 5 or 6 songs. Then it would take me someplace weird and I’d have to do some thumbs-downs to set it straight. Eventually I realized that this is what Pandora is all about…a handful of good songs, then something completely unrelated. Needless to say, we broke up. I couldn’t handle those mood swings. But iTunes and I have always gotten along for the most part. I go on very long walks several times a week and my iPod always chooses just the right mix to accompany the various places I wander through.

      1. Sometimes at school, I’ll put on Pandora for my kids and just let it play while they work or whatever … and I know what you mean. Every three or four songs I have to go thumbs-down something so it doesn’t play again. Overall, I think Pandora’s got a cool thing going for itself … it’s free music (that is, as I recently discovered, up to 80 hours per month … after that it’s not free), and it lets you “choose” kinda what you hear. It’s no iTunes though. ;)

  13. Side note — I can’t help but notice, Neil, that your book tour is due to be in Vancouver on my birthday. Let’s be honest, “TBD” sounds a little iffy, so instead of nailing down details there, how about you beebop on down to the midwest and have a book party here?! Good idea? YES! Ok, I’m glad we talked that out.

    1. Laura, while you’re chatting with Neil, could you possibly get him to visit the east coast as well? You know, you could just throw something into conversation like, “Say, I hear Pennsylvania’s beautiful this time of year!” Thanks, I appreciate you help.

      1. Oh, I’m all over it. With my obvious powers of persuasion, how could he refuse? ;)

        Here, I’m having another great idea. The details for the New York book tour stop are also “TBD” … so let’s just scrap the NY thing and move it to Pennsylvania! After all … I hear it’s beautiful that time of year! ;)

          1. And on the way, why not make a stop in the Sunshine State…the beach is fantastic this time of year in the Tampa Bay Area :)

  14. Hey, Laura, why not map out an entire lower states itinerary for Neil? Then we could do a whole Deadhead thing and follow along with Neil! You know, a kind of group-stalker-but-not-really thing. I don’t have a psychedelic VW van, but I have a beater Toyota that seats 4! OK, so there were Deadheads, Fishheads, now we’d be…???

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  18. my ipod mini knows me so well. we’ve been through so much together over the past 6 years, i don’t think i could ever replace it. no ipod will ever truly get me the way this one does.

  19. The store only had the shoe in store in silver and I was more than underwhelmed, but I ordered the black ones and love them!

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