Subtle Reminder

I have a crack in the front glass of my iPhone 4. The device works exactly as it always has, except for a blemish on the Retina display. It would cost about $200 to get it repaired by Apple.[1] I’ve decided to leave the crack there as subtle reminder of how fragile our lives are.

Let me explain a bit. I’m not being hyperbolic or romantic when I say that. You see, our 3 year old daughter could have drown this week. We have an in-ground pool with a security gate around it. Normally my daughter does not have access to the pool. But a few days ago I was out cleaning the pool (as usual) with my daughter playing on the chairs a few feet away. I was on one side of the pool and she was playing on the other side. I was concentrating on achieving an award winning bug-free pool when I heard the strangest little noise. It sounded like a small acorn dropping into a bucket of water. Bloooop…

I looked around to identify the noise and saw the top of my daughter's head shrinking below the surface of the water. I had a modicum of forethought to toss my iPhone from my front shirt pocket as I dove into the pool. I brought her to safety with a minimum of crying and coughing. She quickly recovered and went back to playing with her bucket on the chairs while I collapsed on the ground.

So that little crack in my iPhone now reminds me. It reminds me how much I love my family. It reminds me that my daughter is fragile. It reminds me that “Blooop” is the scariest sound I’ve ever heard. I see the crack every time I look at that phone and I wouldn’t have it any other way.