Embrace the Tape

I found the best t-shirt at the store the other day. It made me smile. It made me remember all those hours spent listening to the radio for the perfect song to come on so I could push the record button. It made Thomas remember all the hours he spent calling the local DJ requesting songs so he could hit the record button. He also says that those hours were worth it, because eventually the DJ got to know him, and he got quite a few free concert tickets out of that relationship.

As we were marveling over this great find, Katarina looked up at it and crushed my heart just as bit as she said, "What are those things all over that shirt?"

What are those things? Cassette tapes. Mix Tapes to be exact. Bringing back all those memories of recording songs off the radio to make just the right mix for every occasion. Calculating how many minutes were left on each side so I could fill it up without loosing part of a song. How can my daughter not realize what they are?

During my teenage years, I eventually moved away from the cassette and onto the cd. It was a good move.  I don't own a cassette tape anymore, or even a stereo that could play one. It's no wonder she doesn't know what they are. But there, in that moment, I realized that she really is in a whole different generation.  


When I asked her to take this picture for me, she was excited to use the camera the way she always is, but she didn't hesitate to say, "I'll take the picture, but I don't think anyone else will know what those things are either!"

I may not own a cassette tape any more, but I do own this shirt, and I am going to enjoy embracing those memories. Even if my kid thinks I am crazy. She is probably supposed to feel that way about the older generation.

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