I recently moved into a new appartment which of course at the start lacked many utilities, including an internet connection. So after many days of doing chores, setting up bills and decorating the rooms the way I wanted to, I finally got a chance to also setup my record player which hadn't been used for quite a while.

I made sure everything was correctly placed (I didn't have a furniture to put it on so I put it on the floor next to the amplifier), I put on a record and then I lay back on the couch behind me.

And right as the record began playing, something wonderful started to happen. I had this very grounding feeling of being relaxed - almost relieved by something I couldn't really intellectualize. And while I was introspecting into this feeling I realized something: 

That moment belonged entirely to my private world. It didn't really exist outside of that room. No one knew I was listening to this record at that moment. It wasn't tracked in any databse and no ads, no notification bells or wi-fi issues could interrupt the playback of the music. It was just me and the physical record spinning inside an almost empty room. Willingly or not, I had committed a small part of my existence to experiencing this music - reproduced live in pure analog through the record player and soaked in through my ears.

I am still thinking about this experience and how different it feels leaving your phone on the desk (still connected to every service you are subscribed to) to literally unplugging your router from the power outlet. First one feels like a small break just to catch your breath again which had been drained from all the noise.

The other one feels like you are being there just for the sake of being there. Just to experience your life.