I don’t use things. I collect them. Buy me a maple bacon lollipop, and I’ll display it on my bookcase for years, waiting for the right time to enjoy it. Buy me robot window clings, which are meant to be used and reused, and I’ll hang them with clear tape to avoid removing the backing until I find the perfect thing to put them on. Buy me a copy of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
And the things I’m forced to use, I cover meticulously like so many old ladies with their plastic couches. My Kindle, which I’ve owned for more than two years, has nary a scratch thanks to its thick purple leather case. My iPod, which I’ve owned for more than five years, still had the original protective sheet over the front until I had a momentary lapse of reason late last year and pulled it off. I have fabric book covers for my hardcover books, filters to protect all of my lenses, bags for my not-expensive shoes. I buy new clothes but never wear them. I buy fancy lotions but never use them. I didn’t touch my new comforter for the first nine months I lived in my current apartment.
And I realize it doesn’t have to be this way! I see people with their Kindles case-free, one hand fitting neatly around the unencumbered devices, so easily able to hold them up without wanting to rest them on the crotches of the people standing in front of them on the subway. I see people who know that scratches don’t affect the function of their iPods and who don’t want to diiiiiiiiiie when they drop them on the ground. I know people who wear out clothes and comforters and shoes and just buy new ones. And I kind of want to be that way.
But I’ll tell you this. The one time I went crazy and bought a sticker headboard
. . . we moved out three months later, and I had to rip it off and throw it out.
11 Comments
That’s impressive. Maybe because I tear all my stuff up and will never have a collectible to sell on ebay in 40 years. But I do keep my Kindle in a case, a slim one that folds back and is super easy to hold, and my iPhone stays in an Otterbox… but that’s only because I’m extremely clumsy and can’t afford to buy new ones.
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with taking good… ok, VERY good care of your stuff. And I still have the film over the small glass window of my 2006-era, flip-down cell phone. (Even though it so rarely comes out of the case.)
I’m not that bad, but I did refuse to take my iPad out in public until my padded, zipped case came in. And I have a minor freak out anytime I drop an electronic device.
This post EXHAUSTS me.
You’re so funny! God bless you for being so mindful of your things, but for pete’s sake Ett, they’re meant to be enjoyed! Fully!! I’m one of those who lives in her stuff, I wear things out, squeezing every last drop of life out of my possessions. I patch things (sometimes), I can’t bear to part with favorite socks even with holes. When something needs to be retired, I try to repurpose it or give it away. And I am eternally thankful to the thoughtful people who, like you, are so gentle and kind they give away their very softly used things, for me to fully tackle. :)
This post makes me think of the short story “Everyday Use” – about two sisters who are fighting over a quilt – the one (you) is upset because the other sister (the user) will just USE the quilt instead of hanging it up to enjoy from afar like she would do. I’m sure it’s deeper and has a whole nother level that I never got, but that was my take-home point. I think I used to be more like you and I’m slowly starting to use stuff. And burn candles, instead of just perpetually smelling their unburnt wicks. Look up the story, if you haven’t read it already. See ya (hopefully?) soon!
I try to keep a lot of my stuff protected, too, but I still manage to totally beat the **** out of it all.
Seriously. I’d hate to see what my stuff would look like if I wasn’t TRYING to take care of it.
:)
I learned the hard way, you should protect things because kids are evil, evil beings who do nothing but ruin things.
They are why we can’t have nice things.
I noticed yesterday that my Kindle has a little scratch on it. I really hate that I wasn’t more careful.
My dad is like you. Just the other day he admitted to having an unused laptop case…because it was too nice to use. He asked me if i knew what he meant and i am sure i looked at him like he had a third eyeball. I am glad to know he is not the only one.
Also…how is that book…abraham lincoln vampirehunter? It is on my listto read
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