Am I the only one in the habit of attributing personalities to inanimate objects?
Sometimes I will see a plant, bicycle, or a jar and I will just get this overwhelming sense that they know a secret, or a joke and they are trying to share it with me.
Really, everything has a personality on some level. If you treat your belongings well, an observer can sense that. If you drink juice out of your glasses with love and good thoughts, those glasses gleam a bit brighter; if you adore your car and caress it with polish, it will drive a bit smoother. There is such a focus on treating other people with kindness and respect, which is absolutely necessary as well, but it has occured to me that objects deserve the same respect in a way.
Enjoy your bed, nestle in it with a book and revel it its company. It is your sleeping companion, it knows all your uncensored behavior but refrains from judgement and faithfully holds you as you slumber each evening.
Once you open up this possibility of objects being company, you will realize that you are never truly alone (you can decide if this creeps you out or not). When you are lonely, hug your pillow, or lean against your wall.
While reading Hemingway’s short story, Hills like White Elephants, I really admired the girl’s natural inclination to regard everything as an independent entity with thoughts, feelings, and personality. She looked upon a beaded curtain as though it was saying something to her, and the hills as though they were innocently existing elephants–her environment spoke to her more than her human companion.
As a person requiring immense amounts of personal space at frequent intervals, yet perpetually suffering from an undefinable sort of loneliness, this concept is simultaneously intriguing and comforting to me.
I now look upon my house full of characters, instead of clutter. ;)