Can Technology Keep Pace With Nostalgia

Cleaning up after the holidays is not easy, but is sometimes essential to trying to get off to a good start in the new year. It is a time for renewal, after all.

While cleaning up the area around my desk at home, I came across the stack of CDs pictured above. They are but a small sample of the mix CDs I kept in my car once upon a time. Since I upgraded cars in late June, I have had no need for them. The new vehicle has bluetooth technology and an iPod dock, so I can carry more tunes than ever before in less space. No need for an album that holds 20-32 silicon disks; I can access hundreds of songs with a push of a button.

As I looked through the cornucopia of music that I had in this virtually dead (or rather, dying) format, I was suddenly struck by a thought that involved my son, the ultimate extrovert/flirt:

How was he, when he became a tween/teen, going to let a girl know that he liked her?

He's not shy. At least, he's not shy all the time. I doubt that he really will struggle with letting a girl know how he feels.

But the currency of the mixtape (or mix CD) doesn't really exist today. Not in this digital era of streaming music.

I guess he can put together an iTunes or Pandora or Spotify playlist of mash songs.

But will he still be in a position to give his crush a tangible reminder of his heart?

I readily admit that I am a dinosaur in that respect, and I felt a tear well up when I tossed my old silicon coasters out.

Another time honored tradition possibly gone the way of the dodo.