Sorry I can't come to the phone right now, the world is going dark
Happy Solar Eclipse week to those who celebrate
I know my family’s voicemail messages by heart. We call and chat to one another in some kind of endless phone tag, so I get to hear them on the regular. I appreciate that for several of these messages we still say leave your number (you pretty much don’t have to do that anymore with cell phones.) Even better, a few of us have the quintessentially midwestern apology tied up in our greeting.
“Sorry I can’t come to the phone right now!”
It’s polite, but would be very incorrect for me. If I’m not answering a phone call I’m very rarely sorry about it. Please text me.
What does it say that many of us are trained to be apologetic about our lack of availability?
Here in Cleveland we just had a big week. We had basketball, we had baseball, and we had a front row seat to a total solar eclipse.
It was busy. I took off a few extra days this week, no piano lessons, no newsletter writing. Imagine—what if I was writing this newsletter instead of watching the eclipse. If I did that you should all unsubscribe.
I didn’t work. I went to watch the eclipse. I didn’t even apologize for it.
“Sorry I can’t come to the phone right now, the world is going dark.”
But there were lots of people working. Lots of people who tried to make sure their boss would like them go outside for four minutes. We had a delivery driver drop off our meal kit for the week, thankfully not during the four minutes of totality, but definitely before the whole eclipse ended. Of course people were working. But I hope everyone got a moment to stop, and not just because of traffic safety.
The magic of an event like an eclipse is it points everyone in the same direction. Our necks ache, but we know we’re not alone.
What does it mean if I get a work break, but my neighbor is exploited?
What if we all knew the ease of stopping, but didn’t have to apologize for it?
What I’m reading
I just finished Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez and adored it. Fun fact, Abby Jimenez also is a Food Network baking winner and owner of the cutest bakeshop. A true multivocational queen if I’ve ever seen one. This particular novel is about two people making an electric relationship work in the midst of significant real life challenges. It’s funny, sweet, but also pretty moving in it’s depiction of trauma and resilience. Definitely read if you like Jimenez’s earlier book Yours Truly, which had similarly lovable characters alongside mental health challenges.
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