The cool weather is winding down, thus my sweaters and light jackets are nearly all in the laundry basket awaiting the day when either divine inspiration or (more likely) desperation drives me to do the wash. But it was quite chilly this morning, and I needed warmth for my journey to the mailbox. At the back of my closet was pink sweat jacket, quite an elderly one, and that would do what I needed it to do.
I don't throw things out that are still usable, no matter how old they are. Despite a news article I saw this week that contained what I consider to be dubious advice regarding hurriedly disposing of fairly new undergarments and such, I must admit that I actually own a pair of socks that I bought in 1980 and still sometimes wear (yeah, I've got clothes older than you) because they are still good enough.
But the pink sweat jacket shows its age in an odd way: there is a tiny little pocket on the forearm of the sleeve that closes with velcro. How tiny? Three inches deep and more than two inches across. What could possibly fit? It's one of those things that you probably wouldn't know unless you already know, if you see what I mean: it's a cell phone pocket. Really. There was a time when the fad was for itsy bitsy phones--kinda showed off the forward movement of technology, you know. We had gone from massive 2-pound phone bricks to smaller and smaller cells, so it was really stylish to have the littlest one available, and even my old cheapie dollar store fleece jacket was part of that trend once upon a long-ago time.
Phones have gotten bigger again; flatter of course but still much bigger. I remember an online conversation I had with a posting friend (this must have taken place about the same time the jacket was new) who quite viciously poo-pooed my theory that there would be a sudden uptick in technology that would see everyone with a foldable computer in their pocket within a decade or two, and that it would instantly stream video, too. Well, I wasn't wrong, was I? Nearly anyone you care to name has access to a smart phone, and some of the latest ones can fold so that they are smaller in size. Oh, wait, do I sense another trend toward smallness?
It would make sense to go smaller but I don't think it's gonna happen because we just haven't got enough pockets for all of the multiple electronic bits and pieces that people deem necessary to haul around. Advances in technology are supposed to make our lives easier, aren't they? Nearly as I can tell, it just means adding to the tyranny of electronic connectedness.
I doubt we'll see the need for tiny pockets again. Now they are just there on some ancient articles of clothing to confound the future. I don't care to go backward and I'm not a Luddite but there is something to be said for tiny pockets sometimes.
Yeah, it's interesting getting old.
Life is still good, though.
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