Hi Folks,
I hope you are doing well and thriving in life.
Today, I wanted to share something that I realised while talking to my mother. Just a head up, it is a sort of mother and son memories.
Being an engineer and working with technology, it always feels like I know a lot about technology stuff and gadgets. And since I have an interest in gadgets, I always love exploring new stuff, even though sometimes it doesn’t suit my pocket.
I think it’s fine sometimes to go beyond your thoughts and spend on something that makes you feel good because, at the end of the day, it will end up as a memory. But yeah, that doesn’t mean we do it every time, or else we will have a hole in our pocket.
HAHAHAHA!
So yeah, I love gadgets and spending money on them.
And this started when I was young. I always had an interest in and love for funky stuff and things that wouldn’t be considered normal for most kids.
As I grew up, mobile phones started becoming a thing. Everyone was having those keypad phones, and if I remember correctly, Nokia, Motorola, and Samsung were the major producers of phones at that time.
My brothers and sisters started getting these keypad phones once they reached 9th class. Being in 6th, I always wanted to jump classes, finish the course, and just reach 9th class so I could get my first phone.
But eventually, I got lucky.
When I was in 8th class, on my birthday, my uncle gifted me a Samsung keypad phone. I don’t remember the name anymore, but it was a white-coloured phone with a broader screen and a QWERTY keypad.
And trust me, it was an amazing phone.
I was very excited to explore its features and call my friends just to let them know that I was calling from my personal phone.
That was a completely different feeling.
Those little show-offs of having a new phone, and that too a Samsung. Uhh… now it feels childish, but these are memories.
I started with Samsung, and after using a lot of phones, I am now again using a Samsung Flip.
It’s not like I stuck to Samsung all these years. I changed a lot of phones, but yeah, our first phone is always a memory.
So today, while I was chit-chatting with my mom about random stuff, we both started discussing my childhood and my craze for mobile phones.
And she always knew that I would explore a lot of gadgets. She never stopped me from buying gadgets, but yeah, she always told me not to spend without a need.
My mom always made me understand the difference between a need and a want, and that helped me a lot in life.
I will talk about this in detail some other day.
While I was studying, every few years, whenever I thought of buying a new phone, I would start the discussion with Mom about a month in advance.
I would explain to her how we could exchange my existing phone and how we would only need to pay this much amount. Like, a hell lot of calculations from my end.
But she was always clear about one thing: whatever I chose, I had to choose while keeping the budget and my parents’ pockets in mind.
So she used to say, “Just decide which one you need to buy, and then we’ll discuss.”
I remember every discussion we used to have at the time of buying a phone.
Just the two of us, sitting and discussing.
Even though she didn’t understand much about technology, she would always ask what features the phone had and why it was a good phone. All sorts of valid questions.
As I was very young, I never understood that she actually had an interest in phones and gadgets too.
I used to think, “Yeah, Mom is asking because she will make her decisions accordingly.”
But at some point, I realised I was wrong.
She used to ask because she also loved using phones and having a new one every few years.
So, this takes us to a ritual that has been happening between my mother and me for a very long time.
Every time I bought a new phone, I would give my old phone to my mother because it was the best mobile at that point, considering the chipset, technology, and even its condition.
Gradually, time passed.
I completed my Master’s, got a job, and moved to a different state, leaving my hometown and starting to earn.
When I got my fourth month’s salary, I thought I would gift Mom a new gadget.
I first thought of a phone, but gradually, the idea turned into a tablet because she had a very old one. She also does crochet work, so she used to watch a lot of YouTube videos to learn new things.
I thought about it and decided to gift her an Apple iPad.
She had no idea about it.
Mom had come to meet me for the first time after I shifted to the new city. She stayed with me for 15 days, and just two days before leaving, I gifted her the iPad.
And trust me, I won’t be able to forget that reaction ever.
She had tears in her eyes, hugged me, and slowly said, “Thank you, beta,” in my ears.
It became an unforgettable memory for me.
Even in the later stages of my life, I know I will rewind this moment and remember it.
This is how the giving started from my end.
She has done a lot for me and even fought a lot for my desires. She gave me everything I always wanted. Somehow, she would always make it happen for me.
And now, it was my responsibility to thank her for everything she had done for me.
Do you remember the ritual between my mother and me that I mentioned above?
Yup, I know you remember.
I ended that ritual last year on her birthday by buying her a new phone.
You would be surprised to know that until 2025, she had never had a new phone.
The phones I used to pass on to her were the ones she always used. And she would say, “When I use your phone, I feel good because it’s a special feeling for a mother to have her son’s stuff.”
I know she can never justify this, but I can’t ask for justification for an emotion.
I hope I didn’t bore you with this thought of mine. This was just some mother and son memories and is a very special one.
I have this journal to share my thoughts and feelings with you. And if you have any such story, just ping me. We can chit-chat and share our thoughts.
Thank you for being patient and reading my thoughts.
Have a good day!
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