Shaved Meats, Piled High: September 2019
Vacation All I Never Wanted
Life conspired to keep me away from my novel-in-progress for much of August. I was on tour, then I left the country with my daughter. My husband couldn't join us for this teaching/vacation experience, which meant I was with my daughter almost 24/7 for 19 days.
So, yes, I might have been a tiny bit excited when school started after Labor Day. Working on two projects at once -- the novel and an essay collection -- was suddenly plausible. There was even time left over for some world-class decluttering. There are many wonderful things about being away for three weeks, but one unexpected benefit is being reminded how little stuff one needs.
Part of my decluttering included children's chapter books, so look for those to be sneaking into The Mystery Box this fall. I also "decluttered" my phone. This plan began in Italy, where I noticed how peaceful it was to be six time zones ahead, in a pretty place with spotty Internet. I also was inspired by my friend Andre Dubus III, who uses a flip phone. I came home determined to make my smart phone as dumb as possible.
OK, so the phone and text function needed to stay. Ditto, the camera/photos. Maps, navigation services, Zipcar and the Lyft app. (I don't own a car.) Podcasts, Sirius, music and books. Duolingo, Southwest, the app for my daughter's classroom, and a flashlight. (The better to read menus in dim restaurants, my dear.) It's more than a screen, but it's less than two screens. More importantly, I have broken the habit of reaching for my phone when I'm bored. If I do reach for it, it's to READ A BOOK. I hate reading on a phone, but at least it's reading. Maybe I should buy more digital poetry books. I sometimes fantasize about memorizing poems, like the character in Today Will Be Different.
The saddest thing I've learned about myself: Apparently, when I do drive, I have -- had -- the habit of grabbing my phone at stop lights. That's pretty sad. But now I don't do it. Not because I'm virtuous or have amazing willpower, but because there's simply no point. And the less I grab my phone, the less I feel driven by external rhythms. Don't get me wrong, I actually love social media. But I love dark chocolate, too, and I regulate my intake of that as well.
Postscript: It turned out that NOT having email on one's phone can be a real hassle; when I had to double-check my reservation at a hotel, I was forced to pull my laptop from my bag and say, "Now how do I get on the WiFi?" So my email is now inside a folder on my phone. Luckily, my new habits were already pretty entrenched.
READ/READING: Three student manuscripts; Normal People, Sally Rooney; The Dutch House, Ann Patchett; How to Be a Family, Dan Kois; The Stranger Inside, Lisa Unger; One Day None Of This Will Matter, Scaachi Koul.
REREADING: Something Borrowed, Emily Giffin; Betsy's Wedding, Maud Hart Lovelace.
ME, ME, ME: I'll be in New York City October 1st for the first-ever "Get Lit With All of It, with Alison Stewart. Tickets here.
Laura Lippman
September 2019