Blackened Cherries

Recently my friend was sprung from jail. He walked out, drained, tired, abused, and lonely; an empty shell of what he used to be. He used to have such a strong and efficient personality, but as he left jail, quivering and breaking out into fits of surges, I felt he would no longer be the same. 

On the ride home he was quiet. Not a peep out of him. Poignant reminders of what we used to be dotted the landscape of the barren wasteland of time. I could no longer tell time. Seeing others on the street jovially playing with their beloved and caressing their darling's sleek, buxom curves with sharp giggles at the cool vibrations of elation emitted by their counterpart. How I missed those days. My formerly incarcerated partner did as well. I could tell my sidekick was trying his hardest to revive the luster of his former life, but nothing. We drove on, staring into the dismal abyss of the future ahead. I wondered how I could have let such a tragedy occur? Should I not have used him so much? My love for him had grown stronger and stronger till the day he was locked up causing the time spent apart to be unbearable. How could I go on? I lay awake at night wondering how he was coping, sitting all alone in the cold second floor cell. Was he shaking and jittering, wishing he was back in bed? Now I don't have to worry. I should be thankful that he was back in my hands. I should not get too greedy and ask for more. But I want more. I want my old partner-in-crime back.

Home. Such a joyous place. Desperation and desires seem to be kicked to the curb as the last vestiges of negativity are exhausted. We walk in. Up to the room so he can recharge his batteries. I plug him in and without warning he flickers back to life. Hope. A new life has been reborn. 

"Hello Blackberry. Long time no see."

TF

To be honest, this post was originally going to be about my constant fatigue, but in my procrastination of writing that post, I stumbled upon an interview (in Interview Magazine) of Tom Ford. Tom Ford is someone who I would not consider an inspiration or an idol to anyone but me. He is someone who I would describe as a visionary. This really isn't going to be a "greatest hits" of his life, for that, feel free to ask me. Instead, as I was reading the interview, something he said got me thinking.

"... But as an adult working in the fashion industry, I struggle with materialism. And I’m one of the least materialistic people that exist, because material possessions don’t mean much to me. They’re beautiful, I enjoy them, they can enhance your life to a certain degree, but they’re ultimately not important. Your connections with other people are important, our connection to the earth. "


Now, I rather unfortunately consider myself to be a fairly materialistic person. I spend a great deal of my time lusting away at the perfect version of an object, wishing and hoping that I can one day own it. I convince myself that I will become a better person if I own these pants, or my luck will run out if I don't buy this beautifully crafted iconic shoe. My life is so consumed in labels, designer anything, and lust for these items that I even started making pneumonic devices using brand names. I'm not saying that this is ultimately a bad thing, I do believe that a certain degree of materialism is healthy and even necessary, but it "shook" me to my core to hear that one of the most successful, iconic, and brilliant sartorialists of  our time essentially renouncing the importance of his own profession and the glamour that is associated with the world he lives in. 


Granted, this quote probably won't change the way I view the world or even make a change in how I behave. What it did do instead is plant a seed of doubt in my mind that may eventually spread into changing the way I view the world. Materialism still has a rather special place in my heart, it's the one thing that gets me out of bed in the morning to drink my premium coffee and puts me to bed in my ridiculous thread count sheets. Without materialism I would be lost, but what Mr. Ford has me reconsidering is the importance I place on the simpler yet more complex aspects to life, and the relationships we maintain with others.