Do inanimate objects have spirit or life? I think at first blush the question makes me sound crazy. Doesn\u2019t the term inanimate \u2013 no life \u2013 sum it all up? I just wonder, if things really are no-life, why does using my Grandma Pugsley\u2019s soft green china on my Thanksgiving table give me such pleasure? I mean the dinner plates are significantly smaller than more modern styles, and these plates certainly aren\u2019t dishwasher safe. I grew up far away from my grandparents, so although I never saw Grandma Pugsley\u2019s table beautifully set, my parents did send me out one summer when I was 12 to visit Grandma Opal. She taught me to eat avocado on toast. Using that no-life, inanimate china, that I was told Granma bought with redeemed war coupons, makes me feel connected to her life.
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I have this key ring. It\u2019s held the keys of every car I\u2019ve ever owned \u2013 have I really owned five cars? How can I be so old? It belonged to my Grandfather Fearnley. He passed away when I was 10. I hardly knew him and yet I have his key ring. I touch it every day. He was strong and steady so I believe\/feel carrying it, especially while driving, makes me strong and steady and safe.<\/p>\n
I just bought a baby grand piano for my front room. The piano movers were very particular about placement. This inanimate baby can\u2019t be next to an exterior wall, in direct sunlight and won\u2019t be ready to be tuned for another 2 weeks because it must acclimate to its surroundings. I bought the piano from a relative \u2013 she\u2019s not dead. Not all my family is dead and I don\u2019t spend all my time waxing sentimental about their stuff.<\/p>\n
I bought the piano from my aunt. This piano was originally given as a gift for her 30th<\/sup> wedding anniversary but the marriage has since dissolved. The piano movers removed gum wrappers, marbles, spare change, peanuts, a tinker toy, and a TV remote. What they couldn\u2019t remove was a subtle aroma of cigarettes. I scrubbed crayon marks from the sides. This piano has had a hard life. Did I mention that the baby grand is white-ish? I remember feeling almost afraid of this Liberace wannabe inanimate object full of sad memories dominating a room in my home. I wondered if, to stay true to the piano, I should decorate the room with a disco ball and feather boas. But now that the piano and I are acclimating, I find I\u2019m falling in love with it, smells and all. How is it possible every time my son sits down to practice at this untuned, inanimate object it fills my home with music and life? And the memories all seem pretty happy too.<\/p>\n Do inanimate objects have spirit or life? I think at first blush the question makes me sound crazy. Doesn\u2019t the term inanimate \u2013 no life \u2013 sum it all up? I just wonder, if things really are no-life, why does using my Grandma Pugsley\u2019s soft green china on my Thanksgiving table give me such pleasure? … <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/esmithy.net\/sparks\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/piano.jpg\" "\\"Piano\\"")
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