I mean, time. (If I were younger, I’d say, “I mean, like, time.”)
You don’t want to know what’s been going on in my life. It’s been going on in your life, too, given the season. It’s not that i haven’t been thinking, it’s that I haven’t had time to write it all down. So I’m going to do something I’ve done before: write a few notes and thoughts and leave you to fill in the blanks.
Leo Rosten (1908-1997)
How many times have I asked, does anyone remember so-an-so? Well, does anyone remember Leo Rosten? An American Jewish writer - a professional Jew, you might say, writer, screenwriter, best known for his two books about an immigrant learning ESL at a night class: The Education of H*Y*M*A*N K*A*P*L*A*N and The Return of H*Y*M*A*N K*A*P*L*A*N and later, O K*A*P*L*A*N! MY K*A*P*L*A*N. I own and love The Joy of Yiddish (1968).
I thought of Rosten because I was remembering something my husband said/did. I was in his office listening while he phoned long distance seeking the number of a man called Kaplan (no relation to the book). Bill explained what he wanted and when the operator asked how to spell the name, he promptly replied “K-STAR-A-STAR-P-STAR-L-STAR-A-STAR-N-STAR.” You had to be there.
That random memory evolved from a list I made as I thought of writing something about mindfulness - very hot right now. Mindfulness is recommended for peace of mind. You are supposed to cherish the moment and give yourself to it without fussing about what’s going to happen next. (The moment is usually a bit fraught.)
So then I thought of mindlessness. I think mindless is more fun than mindful . People seem to think it’s easier than mindful. Then I wondered if there was a useful in-between state.
How about remembrances? That’s what led me to Leo Rosten because I remembered Bill coming up with that delightful reference to him during a mundane phone call. I wish I could match it to the -ness ending of the other two words. Recollective-ness?
I ran out of power before i finished this. I borrowed my computer from its charging state but I have to put it back and me to bed.
anon, anon…