My Kobo has a dead battery. Again. And something occurs to me as I search for the e-reader’s charger: It’s the long-lasting nature of the device that allows it to run dry so often.
I know that sounds strange, so bear with me a moment. Think about your cell phone. If you have a smart phone like mine, that sucker goes dead unless you charge it nightly. The fragility of the thing fosters a habit of extra care, which keeps it juiced up and ready. We don’t have complete confidence in the battery, and so it begs for attention and therefore rarely fails us.
My Kobo, on the other hand, is a stalwart beast. The battery can go for a week. Because of this, I never plug it in. It sits around; it gets picked up; it gets used; and then it’s dead. I can’t count the number of times readers have messaged me to whine about their dead e-readers. I think my experience here is a near-universal one.
And aren’t relationships the same way? Those that are fragile, we nurture. Those that are secure, we begin to take for granted. When we assume it’ll last forever; it isn’t until the love runs down or something breaks that we think to charge it back up.
I had a great time on Stickam last night signing books and chatting with readers. But it was all the sweeter because Amber was there. I need to remind myself to spend more time charging up the very relationships that I assume will never fail me. And maybe this is a near-universal as well.
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