Everytime I am reminded that not everyone feels this way about inanimate objects, I get genuinely surprised. Anyways once I had to buy a stuffed toy of a pig with a tutu, cause I picked it up on the store and then when I left without her I teared up, and had to go back. Whether this feeling towards objects comes from my OCD or from a (way) too deep sense of empathy, I don't know. What I do know is that right now, I have a pig with a tutu living comfortably on the top shelf of my bedroom, and she has a name and other stuffed animal friends.
i actually cried reading this!!! I love carrying my trinkets and beloved objects with me. When i was little and i got something (anything) new i would put them under my pillow bc I thought they could join me n my dreams!!! A blessing to feel everything (for everything) so deeply! 💕
Joining the 32 other commenters in saying I too feel this way and reading ‘vibrant matter’ by Jane Bennett during my (interior design) mfa made me take this to a whole other level
somebody in my high school gradating class had that Gilmore Girls scene's timestamp as her senior quote. I wonder now if it was supposed to be entirely humorous or related to the passing of time and way things get lost.
just finished reading this fully - it was utterly exquisite stacey :,) the gilmore girls reference and the “frivolous, too-soft god” line made me yell. frightening how similar we are, kismet that we ended up friends - let’s add “the sacred practice of anthropomorphising objects” and “feeling things deeply” to the agenda for next Wine Night 🫶🏻⭐️
the photo of the sock in amsterdam is *so* real -- in iceland, there was a pink glove outside of my airbnb (which was in the middle of nowhere) and every time i passed it i felt sorry for it. the same thing happened on my way to work the other day, but with a tiny beanie. at my core i am a girl who loves things, and i very much enjoyed reading about your love for things <3
I recently learned that in Japan, some people will hold a memorial service for their used tea whisks (made of bamboo, so they eventually wear out from use.) They will conduct a ceremony to thank the whisk and honor it before retiring it from service :')
Objects do live a life, just not the same as ours! Really enjoyed reading this piece and related to it so much.
Hi Scamp. I enjoyed reading your musings about the life of inanimate objects and your relationship with them. I don't think I ever had such feelings, even when I was young. I wonder if males and females are different in this regard. I had a colleague once, who kept track of science articles that interested him, or in some way related to his own work, by writing the reference (author, journal etc.) onto 4x6 inch index cards. He had hundreds, likely thousands, of them, the product of hours spent in the library reading current journals. I tried following his example but gave it up after a few dozen. I'm not that organized. I wonder what has become of his card collection. Has it become obsolete like the rolodex? With modern tools to quickly gather references, does he regret the endless hours he spent writing out references on cards? With the advancement of science, is the information on the cards even useful anymore?
That sounds like it would still be useful for him, even if for nobody else! I still believe in the significance of personalized, specific, curated collections and archives—but that’s rarer now with the Internet, the onslaught of listicles and generalized information. Maybe I’ll keep a notebook of articles and books I find interesting, just for me to see :)
It’s so nice to not feel alone in this. I, too, feel deeply empathic towards inanimate objects. It’s something that’s pushed its way from the back of my subconscious to the forefront. I’m diagnosed OCD; unsure if it’s related but can’t imagine they’re not intermingled in some way. I’m currently writing a piece on my experience with this as well! Loved this — thank you for writing this! ♥️
This is extremely relatable. I used to feel so guilty for the stocking stuffers Santa (my mom) would get me and I wouldn’t find a way to use. When I was around 20 I asked her to get me things I’d use but recently I decided I actually preferred having a few fun things around the apartment that have no purpose other than to make me smile 🙂
"I don’t think something has to gesture at humanness for us to love them" I LOVE THIS and agree so much. I feel like maybe we have all loved objects (in this way) when we were children. Some of us grew out of it, and the rest of us suckers continued to have big hearts!!
This is how I feel about every item I’ve ever been given. I feel so emotionally tied to them even if I don’t particularly like the object itself
like this is my Child now!
we love an anthropomorphizing queen 🖤 from someone who mentally apologizes when she bumps into inanimate objects.
Everytime I am reminded that not everyone feels this way about inanimate objects, I get genuinely surprised. Anyways once I had to buy a stuffed toy of a pig with a tutu, cause I picked it up on the store and then when I left without her I teared up, and had to go back. Whether this feeling towards objects comes from my OCD or from a (way) too deep sense of empathy, I don't know. What I do know is that right now, I have a pig with a tutu living comfortably on the top shelf of my bedroom, and she has a name and other stuffed animal friends.
i love her, i can picture her! i was the exact same in stores. nightmare for parents (but i like to think nice for the objects…)
i actually cried reading this!!! I love carrying my trinkets and beloved objects with me. When i was little and i got something (anything) new i would put them under my pillow bc I thought they could join me n my dreams!!! A blessing to feel everything (for everything) so deeply! 💕
that is so incredibly sweet!! i hope they did💘(even if it was in their own dreams)
Joining the 32 other commenters in saying I too feel this way and reading ‘vibrant matter’ by Jane Bennett during my (interior design) mfa made me take this to a whole other level
ahh that sounds so interesting and up my alley, I have to get my hands on that!
Me reading this: 🙂 😂 😅🤔 😦 😕↕️ 🥲
❤️🩹!! ty for reading
Loved this, but also just adding in that I am also listening to Doechii <3 <3 <3
we’re aligned
somebody in my high school gradating class had that Gilmore Girls scene's timestamp as her senior quote. I wonder now if it was supposed to be entirely humorous or related to the passing of time and way things get lost.
Oh that’s so funny! She was way ahead of me
just finished reading this fully - it was utterly exquisite stacey :,) the gilmore girls reference and the “frivolous, too-soft god” line made me yell. frightening how similar we are, kismet that we ended up friends - let’s add “the sacred practice of anthropomorphising objects” and “feeling things deeply” to the agenda for next Wine Night 🫶🏻⭐️
❤️a must discuss!! thank you for reading madeleine 🫂
the photo of the sock in amsterdam is *so* real -- in iceland, there was a pink glove outside of my airbnb (which was in the middle of nowhere) and every time i passed it i felt sorry for it. the same thing happened on my way to work the other day, but with a tiny beanie. at my core i am a girl who loves things, and i very much enjoyed reading about your love for things <3
I knew you would relate <3!
I recently learned that in Japan, some people will hold a memorial service for their used tea whisks (made of bamboo, so they eventually wear out from use.) They will conduct a ceremony to thank the whisk and honor it before retiring it from service :')
Objects do live a life, just not the same as ours! Really enjoyed reading this piece and related to it so much.
That is so lovely. It's fascinating to learn about how cultures treat and value objects, animals, and children differently. Thank you for reading <3
This Is the best yet
Thank you<3<3
Hi Scamp. I enjoyed reading your musings about the life of inanimate objects and your relationship with them. I don't think I ever had such feelings, even when I was young. I wonder if males and females are different in this regard. I had a colleague once, who kept track of science articles that interested him, or in some way related to his own work, by writing the reference (author, journal etc.) onto 4x6 inch index cards. He had hundreds, likely thousands, of them, the product of hours spent in the library reading current journals. I tried following his example but gave it up after a few dozen. I'm not that organized. I wonder what has become of his card collection. Has it become obsolete like the rolodex? With modern tools to quickly gather references, does he regret the endless hours he spent writing out references on cards? With the advancement of science, is the information on the cards even useful anymore?
That sounds like it would still be useful for him, even if for nobody else! I still believe in the significance of personalized, specific, curated collections and archives—but that’s rarer now with the Internet, the onslaught of listicles and generalized information. Maybe I’ll keep a notebook of articles and books I find interesting, just for me to see :)
It’s so nice to not feel alone in this. I, too, feel deeply empathic towards inanimate objects. It’s something that’s pushed its way from the back of my subconscious to the forefront. I’m diagnosed OCD; unsure if it’s related but can’t imagine they’re not intermingled in some way. I’m currently writing a piece on my experience with this as well! Loved this — thank you for writing this! ♥️
Thank you for reading! I look forward to reading yours <3
This is extremely relatable. I used to feel so guilty for the stocking stuffers Santa (my mom) would get me and I wouldn’t find a way to use. When I was around 20 I asked her to get me things I’d use but recently I decided I actually preferred having a few fun things around the apartment that have no purpose other than to make me smile 🙂
love this, uselessness is a construct!
"I don’t think something has to gesture at humanness for us to love them" I LOVE THIS and agree so much. I feel like maybe we have all loved objects (in this way) when we were children. Some of us grew out of it, and the rest of us suckers continued to have big hearts!!
i feel the same about how we treat so many non-human things, like animals too! thank you for reading <3