Sold My Soul For Rock & Roll

No, that’s not quite right. I sold my Rock & Roll for gas money. I’m a huge music fan. I still like CD’s. I’m one of the few, I know. But, I drive older vehicles and they have CD players.

Of course, I have an iPad and an iPod and a phone, although I never listen to music on my phone. My point is that I own over 500 CD’s in virtually every music category. My tastes mostly run to Country.

We have both kinds of music here, Country AND Western. – Blues Brothers Movie

But, I own classic rock, heavy metal, Rap, classical; 6,000 songs on my iPad.

But, I miss some. A few years ago I went through a very rough patch. (Starting Over At 40.) I was doing whatever I could to make money. I delivered newspapers. I took a job that paid me gas money.

In addition, I started selling my CD collection.

It was like parting with a beloved family pet. No, it was like selling a beloved family pet.

Do you know how much you get for a used CD?

It depends on the CD of course. The most I got was for The Beatles 1962-1966. You can buy it on Amazon for $25. I got $7 for it. Most of the CD’s that I’d bought for $20 I sold for $1. The cheapest CD was Lionel Richie’s Back to Front. You can get it on Amazon for $10. I got $0.25 at a pawn shop.

But, worse were the CD’s that the pawn shop wouldn’t even take. If you don’t think you can be more humiliated than having to sell your CD collection for gas money, just be in a position where the store says, “Nope, it’s not even worth a quarter.”

The reason I share this episode is to talk a little about what’s important and what we value. The lesson is true whether we are talking about CD’s or relationships, or job offers.

I’m currently digitizing my CD collection.

As I was going through the large CD cases that hold my current collection, I came across the following receipts.

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These are the record of about 70 of the CD’s I sold. I know there were more. I saved these with the idea that someday I’d replace them. . .I haven’t.

When we look back on our lives and indulge in a bit of nostalgia, it’s not the opportunities we took that we regret. . (Mostly. . .see the link above to Starting over at 40.) It’s Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken.” It’s the girls that we never got the courage to ask out that we reminisce and ask “What if?”

Later this month I’m attending the wedding of a friend from high school. We were nearly inseparable. After graduation we went our separate ways. He married and then divorced. Last summer was our 30th high school reunion. My friend got reacquainted with a woman who had taken to the Junior Prom. She was also divorced. Well, 30 years later they are getting married.

But, that’s the exception. Rarely do we get to go back and try again.

We face similar choices in business. There are many people in their 50’s putting in their time waiting for retirement, wondering why they never took the chance on starting their own business, or writing a novel, or bought a Harley Davidson.

Here’s the reason I keep those old receipts. I’m never going to replace those CDs. But, When I look at those receipts and realize that I got pennies on the dollar for cherished albums, I’m reminded of what is truly important. I may never again own the complete Beatles collection, but I know that I was willing to sacrifice for my family. The “stuff” wasn’t as important as getting $7 or even $0.25 to help put gas in my car to get through one more day.

I might have sold my Rock & Roll, but in hindsight, it was worth it.

Rodney M Bliss is an author, columnist and IT Consultant. His blog updates every weekday at 7:00 AM Mountain Time. He lives in Pleasant Grove, UT with his lovely wife, thirteen children and one grandchild.

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