I almost see the radio tower in my city as a friend. It’s weird to think of an inanimate object as a friend, especially a giant metal pole, but everywhere I go the radio tower is there for me. When I’m lost, I look into the sky and I can see the radio tower. When I’m trying to see how far away I am from a place, I use the radio tower. When I need a compass and the clouds are covering the sun, I look at the radio tower. No matter where I am in my part of the city, I can depend on the radio tower to show me where I am and where I’m going. It’s always there- omnipresent almost- and because the radio tower is almost dependable, it creates some sense of connection. It’s not just some piece of metal, rather it’s my friend that’s always willing to help me out by telling me the direction, or to let me know I’m on the right path.
When I’m walking around town, especially dead subdivisions with cookie cutter homes, I can’t help but feel lonely. There’s nothing there except for the ever present metal boxes rumbling by, and there’s no contact with any person beyond someone looking out a window. But the radio tower is always there. When nobody else is there to be a friend, to share the walk with me, the radio tower keeps me company. I can always look up to that and say, “hey radio tower, how’s it going?” Sometimes in my imagination I’ll have conversations with the radio tower. Maybe about the what I’m doing or feeling at that moment, or just how the weather is. Even when I’m tired or feeling down I can speak to that tower. It sounds strange but it helps to get me through a lot.
The radio tower never goes away. Even on the most cloudy of days, or the most rainy of days, I can see the tower’s lights blinking from kilometres away. I never have to worry about being alone. I suppose I am alone, I’m the only one capable of thought and that can have conversations, but the radio tower still gives me the connection that I need. It’s like that with a lot of inanimate objects I pass by. It’s like some rocks I visit sometimes. A rock is just a rock, but when you pass that rock enough times it begins to feel like your friend. The rocks sees your progress as you travel and it is your company along the way, even if only for the short amount of time you can see it. The rock is always there and waiting for you to visit. Waiting share the experience with you. It’s like the radio tower. Every time I walk around, the radio tower will be there, waiting for me, there as a friend to cheer me on and make sure I’m okay.
These rock or radio tower friends aren’t real, but they are to me. It’s impossible for them not to be when you’re with them so much. When you’ve gained such a connection. Now of course I recognize that these inanimate objects are inanimate. They’re not people or any living thing. A rock is just a rock, a radio tower is just a radio tower. I don’t want to seem weird but nonetheless there is still a genuine sense of comfort and connection I feel with these objects. We all have this in some way. Perhaps our phones, family heirlooms, maybe a childhood plushy, everything can be a friend. Every item can have some sort of connection. For me my connection is that radio tower. It’s strange, sure, but I like it. It’s nice to have something.
