Pulling at our heart strings

It's been a very funny month in our house lately. A bunch of things have all contributed to a total change in atmosphere. We had to cancel the order for the new car. My wife is finding everything exceedingly hard work. Furniture is being moved around. We've both been to the doctor a number of times...

Yep, she's pregnant.

This was of course a complete shock to us. In fact, the poor woman celebrated her 40th birthday just days before finding out the news. It's turning our household upside down and we're only six weeks in.

Yet, at the same time, there is a huge sense of excitement.

All our kids are excited. I'm super happy. We're genuinely looking forward to the possibilities of a new life, a new person, new relationships, experiences and collaborations. This is added to by the fact that we thought it could not happen again. 

Such is the change that a new addition brings.

Which brings me to something I noticed the other day. Someone on social media posted that they'd just bought a new guitar and posted words similar to this...

"a new addition to the family"

Well it got me thinking. You see I own a few instruments. Some people have accused my office of looking like a music shop at different times. Often a few of the instruments are just visiting while they get fixed or adjusted. Even still, my own collection exceeds the number of fingers on my right hand.

But I pretty sure I've never referred to my guitars as "family".

I've heard similar comments before. It's not that I don't appreciate the sentiment. The upright bass I own has endured thousands of hours at my hands and there isn't a part of it I don't know like the back of my hand. Similarly, I have a cheap acoustic guitar that was the place I've written scores and scores of songs. Other instruments I have catalogue the skills I've developed building guitars. 

Musicians often develop close ties with their instrument, that's perfectly understandable.

What got me thinking was this. It wasn't that long ago that people could only afford one guitar. Isn't it a little worrying that we've started to collect so many instruments? Now we're starting to talk about them as people at some level. I've seen car enthusiasts do the same with multiple cars. 

They're things we don't really need, but we love them like people...

Or do we? I've watched people, "thin the herd". That is, sell a few instruments on when they got sick or bored of them. Again, that would be fine, but there seems to a recent social media trend. It suggests jettisoning, or "purging" friends and family members from your life if they get be too much hard work.

Worse still I'm hearing real life stories of it.

So, do we love our guitars like brothers, and our brothers like faulty whitegoods?

Hmm, it's got me thinking.