Today we had a funeral for my boyfriend's iPhone.
Last Sunday we visited the pool, and he waded in with the unfortunate device in his swim trunks' pocket. It took a few minutes for him to discover the disaster. Or at least I thought it was a disaster; he was unfazed. When we got back to my apartment we stuck in in a plastic baggie filled with rice to draw out the moisture.
After almost a week, he managed to turn it on long enough to download two hundred some-odd pictures. And today we drove to Best Buy to return the phone and order his replacement. But before we left the car we took a moment to say goodbye to the old iPhone.
We knew we were being silly. But there was a real sense of loss, I think because so much of our communication is mediated through this device. It is the physical representation of all those texts and phone calls that make up a long-distance relationship.
A slightly different example of the personalization of impersonal things: last week I faced a large service bill for my truck (a 2001 Dodge Dakota). Someone mentioned that I should think about getting a new car. Quite aside from the hassle of car shopping, I realized I don't want to part with this truck. My dad drove it before me, and it has been my friend "through many dangers," if I may borrow Gandalf's line.
Thankfully, my boyfriend was able to replace his phone at no cost, and my service bill was much lower than estimated. But I realized that it's more than money that ties us to phones and cars. They become invested with part of our lives. I suppose it's a hazard of modernity.
I know the feeling! We've been "purging the clutter" this summer. And for some reason I have a really hard time letting go of the clothes/items that remind me of home or our early relationship--that was the sweatshirt he always let me borrow, that was the shirt I wore on the first date, etc. I hope you still have many adventures with your Brego.
ReplyDeleteWe are in the process of selling the blue car and that's exactly how I feel! There are so many memories involving that car, it almost has a personality of it's own.
ReplyDeleteI hope that a moving eulogy was given at the grave site. Closure in these situations is very important. And I couldn't agree with you more. It's hard to let things pass on because we're sentimental creatures.
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