Waiting in Vain

My very first CD was Legend by Bob Marley & the Wailers. It was the summer of 1985 and I didn’t even own a CD player. In fact, no one I knew had one. But my friend, Tom, got this CD from his mom and wasn’t interested. So I bought it from him for five bucks.

I had no idea who Bob Marley was. I probably didn’t even know what reggae was at the time. I remember clearly that Tom and I read the CD liner notes and made fun of the part where Marley claimed to have written the song I Shot the Sheriff instead of Eric Clapton. We laughed and said: “Who does this joker think he is?!”

Ah, the ignorance of youth.

The next year, I had a good paying summer job and saved up enough to buy my first CD player. I personally knew only two other people who had one at the time – this was still brand new technology. In fact, it was almost impossible to find CD’s. There was just one store in Minneapolis that carried them, and they only had about 20 CD’s available at the time.

My player cost me $500 (!) and had just the basic features. Like all the early models, it was so sensitive that it would skip quite easily. In fact, once while making a recording, I sneezed and ruined the whole thing! But in spite of the high cost and its unreliable playback, I was so excited to have it – the sound was so incredibly dynamic, like nothing I’d ever heard. And, of course, now I could finally listen to my Bob Marley CD, which I decided was pretty cool.

Fast forward almost 30 years, and the Legend CD has become the most widely used – and cherished – of my entire collection. From the beginning of our relationship, this became the go-to music for Michelle and me while vacationing, boating, relaxing on weekends, or generally just having a good time. It’s the perfect laid-back party music. If you’re not relaxed when the first song starts playing, it’s guaranteed that you will be soon.

After all these years, when I hear these songs my mind instantly fills with awesome memories: Our first vacation together in Mazatlán after our engagement, when I brought along a boom box and our favorite cassettes; several additional trips to Mexico and the Caribbean; and more than a dozen Caribbean cruises. I think of boating with friends on Lake Minnetonka on a beautiful summer day as the sun is setting, or hanging out at a lakeside cabin in northern Minnesota. All fantastic memories.

I love the entire CD, from start to finish. However, when the song Waiting in Vain comes on, I always pause. The slow, easy rhythm of this song magically puts me at ease. It’s almost like a sedative, providing me with instant relaxation. It makes me think of a summer afternoon in a hammock, slowly swinging in a light breeze. Maybe with a fruity tropical cocktail….or an ice cold Corona with a lime. Aaahhh…

If I was forced to pick one song to match my energy, my soul – this would be the one. It’s a perfect vibrational match for me. I especially love the guitar solo – it’s just like happiness in a bottle. It gets me every time. Often, I close my eyes to fully enjoy the moment, only to open them with tears clouding my vision. You can’t beat that.

Listening to the lyrics, one would think the song was a sad one – about unrequited love:

“I don’t want to wait in vain for your love…”

But the feeling I get is that while the singer is obviously in love, he’s decided that his life is going to be good, whether his most sincere expression of love is returned back to him….or not. If you think about it, this is probably the greatest gift any of us can ask for – to be content with ourselves, and our life, just the way things are. Not relying on anyone else for validation or happiness.

Whatever the song is about…for me, life is always perfect when it’s playing.

I hope you can enjoy a peaceful break in your day, courtesy of our amazingly talented and late friend, Bob.

Peace.