To what piece of technology would you write a "love letter?"

Dear ___,

Hmm. What should I write to?

About a month ago in French class, we created surveys for the younger French sections asking about technology in their lives. My group’s survey went to the French 3 class, and one of our questions was “Quelle est ton pièce de technologie préférée?” (what is your favorite piece of technology?). Everybody answered with either “phone” and/or “laptop,” answers we expected to receive. But we also received one unusual response: mon réfrigérateur. I read this response and was immediately like, “refrigerator? What a weird choice.” But then I started to think about it and realized that, indeed, a refrigerator is an ingenious answer. It keeps your food from going bad. It makes sure you don’t starve to death. It’s fun. Imagine your life without a fridge. You can’t, right?

Merriam-Webster defines ‘technology’ as “the use of science in industry, engineering, etc., to invent useful things or to solve problems.” This definition includes things like a refrigerator, an analog clock, air conditioning, the wheel, and so much more. Technology isn’t necessarily just the typical items like your phone or laptop. Still, like a lot of the French 3 students, I think most people would write a love letter to their phone. It makes sense — your phone has everything you need. I would have written a letter to my phone too, but I’m going to be quirky and write a love letter to my glasses.

Oh dear glasses, how you make me see. I adore the way you make my eyes work. I appreciate you allowing me to view the board from my seat without having to squint……

Ok that sounds cheesy, but it’s a love letter; they’re meant to be cheesy. Also, all of this is true. Without glasses, I wouldn’t be able to do anything. I wouldn’t be able to read anything that isn’t right next to my face, cross the street, appreciate visual art, etc.

I got glasses in second grade. Before then, I had trouble reading the board from my desk, which always happened to be near the back of the room. My shy second-grade self was too scared to ask the teacher to move up, so I always asked the person next to me to read what the morning work posted on the board was. Eventually, my desk neighbor got annoyed with me and stopped telling me what the board said. I was stuck, unable to do my work. I felt trapped. I remember after getting glasses how magical everything appeared. I could now do the morning work myself. I broke through those boundaries of bad vision. I was a new person.

I’m not saying I enjoy wearing glasses. It’s such a hassle. For example, whenever I’m taking a shower somewhere new that isn’t my bathroom, I have to first take a good look at all the things in the shower — how to turn on the hot water, which bottle is soap, which one is shampoo — before entering.  To all you lucky people who have good eyes and might not know how glasses fit into one’s daily routine, you aren’t supposed to wear them while showering. Wearing glasses is even worse now with the masks; my ears don’t get a break.

I don’t really have any choice, though. Even though they can be annoying, I’m still happy I have them to function. They might not be fun to wear, but I appreciate what they do for me.

Thank you for all you do. I love you even more than that French 3 kid loves their refrigerator.

Debatable.

Yours Truly,

Your Owner