I would be doing a disservice to this piece by adding commentary. I will simply say that the poetic nature of this was absolutely lovely despite the serious nature of the essay.
One of my favorite things is writing about a person without writing about a person. It’s revealing as I look back that the result is this soothing, calm, gentle piece because that’s the kind of safety the person makes me feel. Thanks for unlocking that realization.
This was great, Michael. I was so interested in the rain as an analogy for rainfall. And then then way you used that through the piece and returned to it at the end as a metaphor for your barrel slowly feeling making you feel less lonely — it was brilliant! :)
Thanks so much, Michael. This really did feel like a peaceful embrace of several things that once haunted me. Celebrating positive change is a wonderful thing. Thank you for continuing to read and share your response.
I've also been thinking about the rain in a draft of mine (probably won't see the light of day though), something about that feeling of getting rained on even when you expect it that snaps you out of a lot of the constant slow tigers chasing after us all and makes us realize the present moment, however unpleasant that may be. The atmospheric river/El Nino combo going through California spares nobody from the weather's whims.
The growth throughout this piece here as braided into constant strands of rain was really comfortable to read. I don't know if it's just my aesthetic sense or something, but the mood you described about eating Oreos while listening to Taylor Swift in the rain really sounds fun, and the contrasts you set up with yourself temporally somehow ties everything together in a sense; the pacing of this entire piece feels a bit like the different sounds a rainstorm can bring when you hear it from the inside, ranging from the hard pattering of an unpleasant time out to the soft whispers of a shower, and with sun peeking through the clouds, the reminder that no rain lasts forever and vice versa.
It's wonderful how change works like that sometimes - you feel like you're the same until you look back and see the different images superimposed upon each other like in Cyberpunk Edgerunners, how the instance of you in the moment is totally different from that a fixed time ago. This is also a calculus metaphor, I have to acknowledge it!
Always enjoy reading your pieces. Once I finish my billion midterms, I'll definitely get to watching Past Lives somewhere in ways a sailor might appreciate.
I appreciate this a lot, Abby. (I also chuckled that your rain piece might not see the light of day, since rainy days typically preclude that!)
The weather has been wild up here, too. We went three weeks straight of storms and rain and miserable wind except for one day when it was in the mid-80s. Then this week, right when I needed to take a photo in the rain for my artwork, we have six clear beautiful days.
This wasn’t a normal narrative structure for me, but I tried to capture the free association thinking of that walk to the store. I’m glad it worked for you. I didn’t think it had worked at all until I reread it yesterday and found the rhythm very inside on a rainy day cozy and the ending moving. Thanks for your response.
Whether it’s about rain or not, I’m looking forward to your next piece!
I would be doing a disservice to this piece by adding commentary. I will simply say that the poetic nature of this was absolutely lovely despite the serious nature of the essay.
One of my favorite things is writing about a person without writing about a person. It’s revealing as I look back that the result is this soothing, calm, gentle piece because that’s the kind of safety the person makes me feel. Thanks for unlocking that realization.
This was great, Michael. I was so interested in the rain as an analogy for rainfall. And then then way you used that through the piece and returned to it at the end as a metaphor for your barrel slowly feeling making you feel less lonely — it was brilliant! :)
Thanks so much, Michael. This really did feel like a peaceful embrace of several things that once haunted me. Celebrating positive change is a wonderful thing. Thank you for continuing to read and share your response.
My pleasure :)
I've also been thinking about the rain in a draft of mine (probably won't see the light of day though), something about that feeling of getting rained on even when you expect it that snaps you out of a lot of the constant slow tigers chasing after us all and makes us realize the present moment, however unpleasant that may be. The atmospheric river/El Nino combo going through California spares nobody from the weather's whims.
The growth throughout this piece here as braided into constant strands of rain was really comfortable to read. I don't know if it's just my aesthetic sense or something, but the mood you described about eating Oreos while listening to Taylor Swift in the rain really sounds fun, and the contrasts you set up with yourself temporally somehow ties everything together in a sense; the pacing of this entire piece feels a bit like the different sounds a rainstorm can bring when you hear it from the inside, ranging from the hard pattering of an unpleasant time out to the soft whispers of a shower, and with sun peeking through the clouds, the reminder that no rain lasts forever and vice versa.
It's wonderful how change works like that sometimes - you feel like you're the same until you look back and see the different images superimposed upon each other like in Cyberpunk Edgerunners, how the instance of you in the moment is totally different from that a fixed time ago. This is also a calculus metaphor, I have to acknowledge it!
Always enjoy reading your pieces. Once I finish my billion midterms, I'll definitely get to watching Past Lives somewhere in ways a sailor might appreciate.
I appreciate this a lot, Abby. (I also chuckled that your rain piece might not see the light of day, since rainy days typically preclude that!)
The weather has been wild up here, too. We went three weeks straight of storms and rain and miserable wind except for one day when it was in the mid-80s. Then this week, right when I needed to take a photo in the rain for my artwork, we have six clear beautiful days.
This wasn’t a normal narrative structure for me, but I tried to capture the free association thinking of that walk to the store. I’m glad it worked for you. I didn’t think it had worked at all until I reread it yesterday and found the rhythm very inside on a rainy day cozy and the ending moving. Thanks for your response.
Whether it’s about rain or not, I’m looking forward to your next piece!