What a lovely story! I ditched my phone 9 years ago, and my wife and I share one, using it as a hardwired computer for chat etc when needed. Life doesn't get more "convenient" when we lose a phone, life improves without a cell phone!
I feel the same about car alarms, who owns who here? You are not about to go confront a thief at your car and they go off so commonly that no one even pays attention anymore.
I love your nuanced and poetic description of time and the way phones have changed our experience of time. I’m a singer/songwriter and the title track of my last album - Before the Machine - sought to capture this same idea and the melancholy I feel about it. For all the convenience our phones provide, they have also robbed us of our ability to fully inhabit our lives.
I AM on Bandcamp - thanks for asking, under Zoe FitzGerald Carter. I’m also on Spotify and all streaming platforms. Or you can find my music on:zoecartermusic.com.😊
ok, thank you very much!I shall have a mental mosey through your music. in your opinion is Bandcamp fairest to artists re: direct payment for music?no membership fees to mash and mess with either. I like that model for musicians, past present and future.
Your story tapped into my own fleeting understanding of time, of happiness. I turn fifty next year, which once seemed like light years away. Now, I cannot even grasp who I was when I felt that way. Decades ago barely seem real in my mind, they appear in black and white. You are a beautiful writer, thoughful and soul expressful. I love your piece. I look forward to more. Know that your work showing up in my email today inspired me to sink deeper into my heart, to believe once again that wisdom and depth really are abound (even though sometimes curled up in cornerd), and to upgrade from Free to Subscribed.
Interesting! I think our concept of time changes as we get older because of our experiences with it. We learn to measure and categorize and compare everything but that is because I think our bodies change. Time is eternal as is love and we just can’t quite grasp that yet
An interesting take on Time. I would just add, suggest, that you look at J. Krishnamurti's conception of time = "Thought."
And Gary Snyder's 70 years work on Indigenous communities. No "Indian" community--I'm part Mayan--has viewed Time as linear. Other mainstream cultures across the globe don't view it that way, either.
Time is nothing less than an abstraction which as you write, helps one cycle, schedule, and measure bodily activities, rescheduling yoga class, a re-write of an essay, or a conscious awareness of your slow or quick breath and the heavenly clouds.
“It seems churlish to quibble over happiness’s contours, its levels and intensity. I’m safe and loved and only sometimes at the mercy of the void’s gaping maw.” I read this line 5 times. So good.
You really made me think. I’ll be 46 this November. The abundance of time (and the abandon) in my 20’s was a gift I was only semi aware of but fully enjoyed. Happiness’s contours were wild and ripe with possibilities. At 36 the quieter gifts -sun on the face, the ritual of making my morning cappuccino, a walk, an early morning at the farmers market became the substantive gifts of a calmer happiness. I often think about time by decades, but now I’m looking at 46 and wondering/anticipating what sort of contours and depths my happiness might have for the next ten years…and planing on getting lost more often without my phone. TY!
Very well writtten. A gift. As an old grandfather may I suggest there's more than happiness. I'm sure you've experienced joy and at times peace of mind. Tough to find as life is a blur with its daily responsibilities and challenges. My hope is that you'll explore those sensations from the universe and consider exploring the truths of the Bible. They are connected. While we've become so intellectually secular I just want to share that true joy and peace of mind are in a vastly different league than happiness which can be so fleeting. The underserved joy and peace of mind I've received is easily found in that incredible telling of who and why we are. Very best of wishes.
No offense, but since you brought it up, I, personally, find the Bible to be a repulsive read. How do you get past the stoning deaths of non-virgins? (To name only one).
No offense taken. Lots of questions way above my pay grade. The overall theme is that there is one true God who created us for his pleasure and is crazy about each of us in spite of our selves. A couple data points. Psalm 23 and Philippians 4:6-9.
Same god who loves us unconditionally yet is about to smite and destroy 2/3’rds of humanity? Way I see it, the Bible contains enough truth to make it seem like Truth, yet the integrated deceptions corrupt the entire thing. Unless one uses the gift of discernment, it is a misguided system, intentionally. Just my 2 cents. Be well 🙏
“The Bible says so” really isn’t a good argument. That book is full of contradictions. God’s body count is very high (despite “Thou Shalt not Kill,”) whereas Satan barely gets a lick in. No, my religion teacher couldn’t explain that one, either.
So, women actually give birth to humanity, but are assigned a secondary status to their male collaborator. And that means they could t have possibly been a Goddess who gave birth to the entire Universe? Conveenient.
The Son of God gives us a clear view of who his father is. You obviously don’t have to accept it. He’s dramatically changed my life beyond my ability to articulate it. Best to you.
This story is so truthful. I lost my phone while traveling during the pandemic. Perhaps I’ll write about that adventure. Enjoyed this immensely. Thank you.
What a lovely story! I ditched my phone 9 years ago, and my wife and I share one, using it as a hardwired computer for chat etc when needed. Life doesn't get more "convenient" when we lose a phone, life improves without a cell phone!
Yes! Like a prisoner, the “cell” phone.
I feel the same about car alarms, who owns who here? You are not about to go confront a thief at your car and they go off so commonly that no one even pays attention anymore.
Exactly Lisa! Here is a recent article I wrote on that:
https://romanshapoval.substack.com/p/6-ways-to-get-rid-of-your-cell-phone
wheneverI lose my phone I feel catharsis, a freedom found.
When you once again find it, how do you feel then? Maybe you should 'lose' it permanently
These glimpses of your lovely life and time are a postcard from another reality full of peace and possibility.
I love your nuanced and poetic description of time and the way phones have changed our experience of time. I’m a singer/songwriter and the title track of my last album - Before the Machine - sought to capture this same idea and the melancholy I feel about it. For all the convenience our phones provide, they have also robbed us of our ability to fully inhabit our lives.
do you have material on Bandcamp?
I AM on Bandcamp - thanks for asking, under Zoe FitzGerald Carter. I’m also on Spotify and all streaming platforms. Or you can find my music on:zoecartermusic.com.😊
ok, thank you very much!I shall have a mental mosey through your music. in your opinion is Bandcamp fairest to artists re: direct payment for music?no membership fees to mash and mess with either. I like that model for musicians, past present and future.
Bandcamp is the fairest platform for musicians for sure. I don’t love sending people to Spotify but it’s where most people listen to music.
Your story tapped into my own fleeting understanding of time, of happiness. I turn fifty next year, which once seemed like light years away. Now, I cannot even grasp who I was when I felt that way. Decades ago barely seem real in my mind, they appear in black and white. You are a beautiful writer, thoughful and soul expressful. I love your piece. I look forward to more. Know that your work showing up in my email today inspired me to sink deeper into my heart, to believe once again that wisdom and depth really are abound (even though sometimes curled up in cornerd), and to upgrade from Free to Subscribed.
You have an enchanting and captivating way with words. Reading this was a joy.
Interesting! I think our concept of time changes as we get older because of our experiences with it. We learn to measure and categorize and compare everything but that is because I think our bodies change. Time is eternal as is love and we just can’t quite grasp that yet
An interesting take on Time. I would just add, suggest, that you look at J. Krishnamurti's conception of time = "Thought."
And Gary Snyder's 70 years work on Indigenous communities. No "Indian" community--I'm part Mayan--has viewed Time as linear. Other mainstream cultures across the globe don't view it that way, either.
Time is nothing less than an abstraction which as you write, helps one cycle, schedule, and measure bodily activities, rescheduling yoga class, a re-write of an essay, or a conscious awareness of your slow or quick breath and the heavenly clouds.
Love it Sophie! A thoughtful meditation on time and space. You turned a simple eveyday problem into literary art.
“It seems churlish to quibble over happiness’s contours, its levels and intensity. I’m safe and loved and only sometimes at the mercy of the void’s gaping maw.” I read this line 5 times. So good.
You really made me think. I’ll be 46 this November. The abundance of time (and the abandon) in my 20’s was a gift I was only semi aware of but fully enjoyed. Happiness’s contours were wild and ripe with possibilities. At 36 the quieter gifts -sun on the face, the ritual of making my morning cappuccino, a walk, an early morning at the farmers market became the substantive gifts of a calmer happiness. I often think about time by decades, but now I’m looking at 46 and wondering/anticipating what sort of contours and depths my happiness might have for the next ten years…and planing on getting lost more often without my phone. TY!
Well said. :)
Very well writtten. A gift. As an old grandfather may I suggest there's more than happiness. I'm sure you've experienced joy and at times peace of mind. Tough to find as life is a blur with its daily responsibilities and challenges. My hope is that you'll explore those sensations from the universe and consider exploring the truths of the Bible. They are connected. While we've become so intellectually secular I just want to share that true joy and peace of mind are in a vastly different league than happiness which can be so fleeting. The underserved joy and peace of mind I've received is easily found in that incredible telling of who and why we are. Very best of wishes.
No offense, but since you brought it up, I, personally, find the Bible to be a repulsive read. How do you get past the stoning deaths of non-virgins? (To name only one).
"Greatest work of medieval fiction ever assembled" - Alan Watts on The Bible
No offense taken. Lots of questions way above my pay grade. The overall theme is that there is one true God who created us for his pleasure and is crazy about each of us in spite of our selves. A couple data points. Psalm 23 and Philippians 4:6-9.
Same god who loves us unconditionally yet is about to smite and destroy 2/3’rds of humanity? Way I see it, the Bible contains enough truth to make it seem like Truth, yet the integrated deceptions corrupt the entire thing. Unless one uses the gift of discernment, it is a misguided system, intentionally. Just my 2 cents. Be well 🙏
But why is God a He, when women create all of humanity? Seems … convenient.
Well the Bible says so......and women do give birth, but not without a male collaborator.
“The Bible says so” really isn’t a good argument. That book is full of contradictions. God’s body count is very high (despite “Thou Shalt not Kill,”) whereas Satan barely gets a lick in. No, my religion teacher couldn’t explain that one, either.
So, women actually give birth to humanity, but are assigned a secondary status to their male collaborator. And that means they could t have possibly been a Goddess who gave birth to the entire Universe? Conveenient.
The Son of God gives us a clear view of who his father is. You obviously don’t have to accept it. He’s dramatically changed my life beyond my ability to articulate it. Best to you.
Well written!
Loved this reflective piece. Newly moved to the area around the Marshes... where can I find those elderflower you mention!
There’s loads of it in the bit just by the filter beds / Hackney riviera - one huge bush right by a pylon! Happy foraging!
This story is so truthful. I lost my phone while traveling during the pandemic. Perhaps I’ll write about that adventure. Enjoyed this immensely. Thank you.
Apposite. Crisp. Resonant.
What you perceive as 'happiness' is actually Peace of Mind
Contentment.
Is peace of mind the same as contentment? I'm chewing on that now.. right now I see no difference between the two..
Present