On Wednesdays, I usually write about life at the bottom of the Internet.
And I did draft (another) rant about the phone. But that can wait a week.
In the meantime, I got a text from a friend who confirmed that his Thanksgiving plans had changed because a sick friend of his had died, as expected.
I don’t know his friend. Not young, he was certainly still in his prime. In his texts, I could tell what Philip Roth calls “the presence of an absence” was sweeping over my friend. “I will go for a long walk in the rain,” he wrote, suggesting that his friend would love that.
Recently I heard Sam Harris talk about how we need to “revere the ordinary.” My objection to the Internet, the phone in particular, is how it hinders our ability to do just that.
Today’s reminder is to focus on that while you can, especially as you gather with friends and family: Relish the rain.
This newsletter:
Monday: The Up and Down of It
Tuesday: Amsterdam-ia
Wednesday: At The Bottom of the Internet
Thursday—Notes on Education
Friday—Today, or Some Day Like It
Saturday—Muntrem, er
Sunday-Everything is Everything, Almost