Tears of Toy

Gadgets and gizmos abound in this household. From notebooks to smartphones, bluetooth to cameras, ipods, DS, Wii, photo printer, labeler, laminator, electronic chess thingy, eletcric toothbrush, digital thermometer, telescope. Geez we even have a shredder and electric pencil sharpener in one. There's heaps more but I probably forget we even have them. That's on top of old models of gadgets we've collected over the years. Strangely, we never sell them. We give them away but very rarely lest we insult people. Most of them pile up in different corners of the house, hidden, untouched and gathering dust as their owners dread to deal with the question of what do to with them, how to do it and when. Just what do you do with old gadgets? Especially when they're not even broken nor abused. You wouldn't just chuck them in the bin, would you? Who would want them? Could this be a good excuse to finally try e-bay. Who would want to buy them? It's not surprising that we have 5 cameras, 4 cellphones, 5 notebooks... and these are just the ones I can recall right now. Is it excess? Is it the ill effects of digital life and the drive to be all tech and owning the latest, the biggest, the smallest, the fastest combined with disposophobia?

This week, Edwin celebrates his 48th birthday. Tradition dictates that a new big boys toy will arrive. And arrive it did with bells and whistles. A massive, commanding, black and sleek 46 inch LCD TV (he would have bought a 52 inch if he had the space for it). With it comes a blu ray PS3 which is the very reason and ONLY reason, I might stress, why my dear husband decided to upgrade our nice old TV. He'd been wanting it... no not the TV, the blu ray PS3 and it being bundled with the TV, he reckons he just saved himself a lot of money. Hmmmm... I'm in sales so I highly doubt that to be the case. But it's his birthday so we'll let him enjoy that thought.

He and Cerise picked it up and Edwin tells me Cerise was teary eyed upon seeing the new TV loaded up in the back seat of the car. First thought... "my child is strange. Funny and cute. But alarmingly strange." I couldn't think of any rationale for her to be emotional over this. She's not addicted to TV. She's never complained about the only one she's known all her life. She's never asked for a new one. So I asked her what's with the tears welling up. Shyly, she said she was just happy to have a new big TV because ours is small. Thought bubble read... "you should see the television I grew up with." I launched into a preaching frenzy and went on to tell her that our old TV isn't small. That it sure is smallER than the new TV but 32 inch is a decent size. And it was much much bigger than her when she was a toddler. And that it's not even broken at all. It looks and functions just the way it did when we first bought it in 2000 - back when the first series of gigantic plasma TVs came out with a ridiculous price tag of $20,000 per unit. That we really didn't even need a new and bigger TV. That we must always be happy, grateful and content with what we have because really we have enough, in fact, more than enough.
Whew! I just couldn't help myself when I see the opportunity to impress on her some unsolicited lifelong lessons.

I find myself attaching a strong sentimental value to this old smaller TV, to be honest. Our very first tube, good old tube for 9 years is about to be exterminated. It just didn't deserve that I thought. I feel sorry for it. I am saddened by the idea of letting it go because it feels like parting ways from beautiful memories and...
Wait. Stop right there. This very thought... it's sad yes and you bet I could come up with more reasons why disposing of this TV doesn't sit well with me... but these thoughts are unnecessary and disturbing. Did I just uncover the mystery of our clutter of gadgets around here? Are we compulsive hoarders and just never recognized it??? SHOCK.