It will sound really weird, but growing up, I was most attached to my pen.
I am chuckling as I begin to write this because it was not any special pen. In fact, it was a series of pens that I liked – with each being a favourite in different phases of my life.
They weren’t fancy pens either. The pens I bought, they would cost somewhere between 10 and 25 INR. That’s less than 25 pennies in UK currency and 30 cents in US currency. They were mass-produced, ordinary-looking, ball-point pens that I could always buy in any stationery shop around our home.
Why do I think I was incredibly attached to them?
I used to carry just one pen to school. I would use the same pen for the whole school year, only keeping spare refills to replace when they would run out of ink. Sometimes, especially during exams, I would keep a backup pen in my bag, but they were basically of the same kind, and I definitely wouldn’t take it out if I could help it.
I hated losing my pen. If I dropped my pen in the classroom, I would not rest until I looked for it under all the desks and chairs. I would miraculously shed all my social anxiety to ask my fellow classmates to move their chairs around if needed so I could search in all the nooks. I hated lending my pen to anyone because I feared I wouldn’t get it back. I don’t remember the words exactly, but I definitely remember my friends making fun of my attachment to my pen at least once.
Why was I so attached to my pens?
Growing up, academics was a big part of my life. Probably the biggest? From a utilitarian point of view, my pen was my most frequently used tool. During those times, I would appreciate pens that would let me write faster. Pens that could last longer. I distinctly remember this Cello Write-o-meter pen that would also let you look at the ‘distance’ left in your refill.
Looking back, I think what I also appreciated was reliability and predictability in addition to efficiency. And I continue to value those same things when it comes to the tools I use today.
Usually not a fan of premium brands, and an underdog cheerleader like many, I converted to Apple devices after I had the chance to use Android and iOS phones simultaneously. I was given an iPhone at work, and I had bought the latest Pixel phone by Google despite having used the iPhone for a few months. I truly appreciated the iPhone when I compared it with one of the best Android phones on the market then. Till then, I had only heard about ‘an iPhone just works’, but I had never had the chance to see it in action.
I see this theme running across many other devices and contraptions that I use in my everyday life. Right from the guitar and amp I use to the coffee machine at my home – reliability, predictability and efficiency are some of the most important criteria for my everyday things. I guess the things that I am attached to may have changed over time, but the attributes I look for haven’t.
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