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Identifying Habits of Mind
The story is about a simple incident: an iPod is damaged when it falls into a bucket of water. Read the
story through one time and then a second time. Which Habits of Mind can you identify in the story?
Different readers will see different habits.
The Day My iPod Died (but came back to life)
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Like most people who like music in the 21 century I have an iPod. Actually – I have four
iPods of various sizes and ages. One of those iPods – the 40 gig classic – is, in the interests of
full detail, a replacement for my very first iPod which met with a tragic accident early one
Saturday morning about five years ago. It is that story, dear reader, which I now relate to
you.
It was a morning like any other. The sun was shining brightly (perhaps then not a morning
like any other) and in order to not awaken my family I opted for music through the iPod and
headphones. I was doing some work around the house, cleaning and washing floors and for
a brief moment I took my iPod from my pocket so I could select an appropriate sound track
for my morning activity. I scrolled through genres and artists before selecting ‘soul’ and
before too long Otis Redding was massaging my ear drums. Satisfied with my selection, I
was about to place my iPod back in my pocket but in doing so it slipped from my grasp only
for the precious item to land in the bucket of hot water which was laced venomously with
‘Pine-o-clean’.
Dear reader, I tell you the truth when I say that I have rarely moved so fast. My hand
followed the trajectory of the music player and almost caught it before it hit the very
bottom of the bucket. I looked at its face to gauge its reaction to such brutality. Was my
iPod alive? Would it ever trust me again? At first the signs were good as I placed the ‘phones
in my ears and could still hear the soothing sounds of Otis. But soon the life left this poor
sodden machine and was no more.
What to do? I went through what is described by experts as the stages of grief: shock
(Nooo!!!!), anger (I am such an idiot!), denial (I am sure it will work if I just try it again),
bargaining ( I know it’s wrong to pray about an iPod), depression (I will never be able to
listen to music again) testing (maybe it can be repaired or replaced) and acceptance (it’s
just an iPod).
I can tell you, dear reader, that the story doesn’t end there. My neighbour specialised in IT
and so he knew a little about the intricate make-up of the wonder that is the Apple iPod. I
went to him to for advice and he gave me specific instructions: put it in a cool dry place and
do not touch it for three days. Struck by the religious symbolism, I believed in him and
followed his commands. I was occasionally tempted to assess my iPod’s progress but I
remembered the mysterious look of warning on my neighbour’s face as he spoke.
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