Metaphors

Life is full of metaphors. When you see them, you're put into such a state of discernment, it's almost overwhelming.

Personally, mine is full of metaphors. Some I've discovered through time and some that just pop out of nowhere during strained conversation.

One day, during summer vacation, I had found a tiny cellphone battery. Well, later on however, I'll discover that it didn't just pop out of nowhere. It was right in its box, where it was supposed to be, ever since I signed up for this new phone.

So I had been carrying, essentially, a phone with an empty battery cartridge.

That day, the battery came to me with a magic-like warranty. In my sleep that warranty screamed in my head that it would last a lifetime. Or at least for the lifetime that the phone would come to reach. So realizing I had nothing to lose, I put it in my phone.

It was a perfect fit.

For a month it sat in my phone. My phone never came to life.

The battery was useless without a charger.

When school enrollment came, I had hopes or buying that new charger. But just as uncertain buyers go, I limited myself to canvasing the possibilities, window-shopping for that charger. I missed the chance to buy it, and for two more weeks, my phone went uncharged.

One fateful day, I had chanced upon a charger sale. I seized the chance and bought it.

The next few days were an awkward adjustment period. I was enjoying my new found utility. And for fear of ever losing it, kept it perpetually attached to its charger. I never wanted to run out of battery. This battery, out of all the batteries I had come upon had been the best - the most long lasting. It brought me some of the most meaningful experiences in my life, not to mention 3 new contacts on speed-dial.

As you can probably guess... it was too good to be true.

Four months in and the battery fried. There were days when it'd come loose. Sometimes, it would cause my phone to hang. And times when I needed it the most, it would run out. After much denial and failed attempts at fixing it, it gave way.

I dug for the warranty buried deep in piles of trash and found it, only to discover it was void. I did have something to lose.

Now that my too-good-to-be-true cellphone experience seems to be coming to an end...

Do I remove my battery and dispose of the charger?

I can always try to keep my phone connected to the power supply and leave it on charge mode permanently. But that causes stress on the battery, as most electronic appliance users should know. It damages the battery even more, and hurts your phone as well.

The battery is dead, and the temptation of charging it might just drag my phone down with it.

What do I do now...?