appleicious

No, these are not my freshly manicured fingernails. But this electronic appliance, this gadget, if you will, is identical to my new phone - an iPhone, I believe they call it. Without belittling the strength of feeling I have for my wife, Rachel - nor, of course, my devotion to the dog and cat - this mobile hand-held device is, for a while at least, the new love of my life. It is perhaps another big reason (excuse?) why my writing has been curtailed over the last few weeks.

Not only is it sleek and beautiful, but it engages the senses of touch and sight in such a mesmeric - almost addictive - way. Combine that with the mind-boggling array of 'apps' ('Leeds chants' anyone, or Alan Partidge soundbites?) and you have a device which looks like everyone else's, but which feels - and this is the key - utterly, privately and pleasurably one's own.

The beauty of it for me, though, is in the connections it creates. It seems to bring my whole life together - past, present and a massively exciting future. I can pluck snippets of information out of the information super-highway as if I was casually spearing fish from a stream. I can email it, tweet it, post it, share it, download it, upload it, comment on it or ignore it. I can log it, store it, reply to it or trash it. I can use it, abuse it, copy it or paste it. I can skim it, dissect it, manipulate it or even create it. The possibilities are endless and, significantly for me, this mirrors what I feel about life at the moment.

Whether it is simply the process of resurfacing from my illness, the lessons I have learned about myself, or the messages I have been giving my subconscious mind through hypnosis, psychotherapy and EFT - or perhaps a combination of all three - I see the world very differently these days. it is no longer a scary place. It is a place full of wonder and possibilities. It is a place where both good and bad things happen, but where I can create my own meaning from everything that befalls me. My life is full of magic, opportunity and madness (in a good way), and I can't wait for the next instalment.

As you follow the flow of this particular post, you may get the impression that I am somehow suggesting that my iPhone might be responsible for this new-found positive outlook of mine, or even that Apple can bring happiness to the world. of course this would be ridiculous. But then, they're a very clever bunch of people, so who knows?