Me and My MP3

When I first started using an mp3 on the street, I was ambivalent about it.  Perhaps when I walked down the street, I should just walk down the street, without doing something else.  You know, just do one thing at a time.  Look at the sky, pay attention to cars and where I'm going.  That's enough stimulation.  This is what I considered, even though I listen to shiurim when working on tasks at home that don't require much thinking or attention. 

Why did I think walking outside is different? I'm not sure.  Maybe something to do with closing myself off, to some extent, from what is going on around me.

Now that I've listened to several hundred shiurim, both while on the street and while at the gym, it seems to me that this was and is a good decision.  If my mind was disciplined and I put it to good use while walking and exercising, then an mp3 player wouldn't be necessary and might even be second best.  But my thoughts are not that focused and since our minds are working constantly, with and without an mp3, it seems a good idea to fill it with worthwhile thoughts through shiurim.

So I download shiurim from the Internet, usually on the parsha or upcoming holiday plus any other topic that sounds interesting.  There are literally thousands of available shiurim and so I can be choosy.  If I don't like a shiur, I'm under no obligation to complete it.  Next.  I move on to something I can benefit from.

I recommend it!

P.S. the picture is what my mp3 player actually looks like