Has anyone NOT listened to their system for a long time?

Pretty sure I have everyone here beat by a country mile. Haven’t listened to my main system in.....4 years. In 2012 I moved in with my ailing mother to take care of her as she had numerous health problems. I brought a modest audio system with me that was mounted on the dresser in my bedroom but I rarely listened to it.

Sadly Mom passed away in April but she is finally at peace and no longer suffering. After settling the estate with my sisters I’ve decided to relocate from the east coast to the great American West. Sunday night I hit a deer 10 miles east of Limon, CO on I70 and it did extensive damage to my Pathfinder. By the time it gets fixed old man Winter will have rolled in and it will probably be too late (i.e. snow & ice) to look for work and find a place to live.

I have a Lavardin IT and a vintage Linn LP12 with numerous upgrades (Cirkus, Majik, Lingo2) in storage that I’ve never listened to. So it could easily be 5+ years until I get settled and am able to hear my music again.

I guess I should count my blessings though. 200 people a year are killed by deer collisions. I got lucky. The music can wait.

I'm young and have no externalities which influence my listening habits, I take breaks too. Not from music but from listening to it on the main system. I have it in mind that I have to actively take interest in listening to an album for it to be worth playing through the stereo. The funny thing is my stereo hasn't seen much use for the music I actually own in over a year, its been on music discovery duty this entire time which says all that needs to be said really.

Breaks are good. In fact, I think they can save your enjoyment. Around 2000, I found myself getting frustrated that I couldn't get time to listen to what I wanted, when I wanted, as loud or soft as I wanted. I had to make concessions on equipment placement due to WAF... or really, not WAF but BSF (Baby Safety Factor). I finally realized:  I'm getting frustrated because my life situation (which, mind you was part of 'the plan' and I was/am SO blessed to have it) was precluding my audio habit. In normal english? I got married, a job, a gigging musician, one kid, then two, then three - I'm living my dream! but wait - audio was actually FRUSTRATING me because it, like everything, requires time and mental dedication. So?? I sold all my equipment, put up LP's that I wanted to keep, and got something which would be 'lifestyle oriented' - a set of decent 'cans and an iPod (durable, small, discrete). You see - I want to participate in things 100%; so I put it on hold/hiatus/quit with no excuses, and it wasn't competing for time with something that doesn't need competition. 15 years later, I jumped back "in the hobby" and this time - my equipment is better, I'm enjoying it, and my oldest (15yo) has watched me put the system together, enjoys 'highjacking' my listening time (LOL - if he comes in to the listening room with something to play, I NEVER say no, but I do make him listen to something of mine :) he usually digs it). I hope this helps some of the readers who probably are as "100%" in life as I am.

My wife and I took the "trip of a lifetime", three weeks in East Africa, including an incredible safari!  Three weeks away from my "man cave" is probably a record amount of time!