Drop Off
My 7-year-old makes a silly joke that sends me into a spiral.
Before my daughter could even use her tiny legs to push open the car door and I could even begin to tell her to “make good choices” and “spread kindness” like I have every morning since she first started school, she had already begun to say “the door crushed me. I’m dead. RIP.”
The door had not, in fact, crushed her and she certainly was not “dead,” but the implication that she had perished between my vehicle’s rear passenger door and the back seat was enough to turn my insides.
“We don’t joke about being crushed by doors,” I yell out to her as she jogs away unaware that she has sent my day into a spiral, her too-big-for-her backpack hanging sideways off her tiny 7-year-old frame as she reaches the entrance, her day about to begin.
I check my side mirror and pull away from the curb, look back in the rearview one last time and sigh.
“Make good choices,” I whisper to myself. “Spread kindness.”
“Be safe,” I add, as I always do, out of her earshot, to myself, like an incantation, a whisper that just might make its way to her if I say it everyday. If I just say it enough times.
What are you worried about right now? Feel free to share in the comments.
What I’m Writing
This very newsletter right here! In fact, it was written on a 1954 Smith Corona Sterling that my mother had toiling away up in her attic before I decided to show it some love, bring it back to life, and make its type slugs slam into some paper. It’s quite a different feeling than typing on the computer, and one I haven’t experienced for probably two decades, but it makes a difference. I could feel the words as I typed them. Visceral and slow, but meaningful. I think I’ll keep using it.
What I’m Reading
I had been hoping to interview Minka Kelly (for Shondaland) about the release of her upcoming memoir Tell Me Everything, but it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen unfortunately. Busy schedules are a hell of a thing.
The fact that our schedules didn’t align, however, won’t deter me from telling you that I think it’s a surprising, important read that really brings a whole new level of detail to Minka’s life. I read it through twice and found it incredibly moving. I think it’s going to help a whole lot of readers in a lot of ways.
You can find it wherever books are sold on May 2.
What are you reading this week? Drop a comment below and let me know.
What I’m Watching
I already mentioned how much I love the new Prime Video documentary Judy Blume Forever on Notes, but I’ll say it again here: This movie is delightful in all the ways you might imagine a documentary about the one and only Judy Blume might be. Entertaining, informative, and filled with familiar faces, it is just a whole lot of fun. Highly recommended.
If you haven’t seen it yet, I’m not sure what you’re waiting for, especially with Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. hitting theaters this weekend.
Thanks for reading and sharing!
Be well and keep talking.
DISCLAIMER: I am, by no means, a medical profession. If you need help, please seek qualified medical attention. This newsletter, while informative and fun, is no substitute for the real thing.
"Drop Off" is a very emotive and urgent piece. The fear and protection and love for your child are conveyed so poignantly!
Wonderful post, Scott. And OMG I saw the Judy Blume Forever trailer at the end --- I loved this documentary so much, bawled through much of it (I am a huge Judy Blume fan). Also bawled because (as I think you know) my covers are all the way through it. And my Simon & Schuster editor, Justin Chanda! I still haven't had a chance to see the movie version of ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT'S ME, MARGARET.