My grandmother is basically blind, and my grandfather is basically deaf— but yesterday I called them to get a peanut butter pie recipe. My grandfather pulled a recipe card and tried to transcribe my grandmother’s scrawl to me over the phone, while my grandmother shouted corrections in the background. I wrote it all down on a piece of paper. I resisted the urge today to find a recipe online to compare it to (just in case!). Instead I made it just how it was shouted out to me. It’s lovely. Lovelier for the way it was given, and not sourced. Thanks for this poem. It also felt given.
What a blessing to have this! I have been trying for years to get my Nana’s recipes since she passed but my uncle is holding them hostage… she was a multiple blue ribbon Pillsbury winner and owned a restaurant when I was a wee hobbit. Notebooks full of recipes—collecting dust.
My quiet grandfather, whose blindness gets worse by the day, started learning to read Biblical Greek when he got the diagnosis. He will often mutter clever and hilarious jabs at my grandmother, who is the chattiest ray of sunshine you would ever meet and cannot hear at all out of her right ear. She will make faces and gestures at him when he teases her or takes a joke a little too far for her liking. The knowing, affectionate glances I share with her and the laughter I stifle at the things I’m not supposed to be able to hear him say are the greatest intangible things I will ever own. There’s not much of a point to my sharing this besides the wonderful joy it is to be human alongside these elders we love so dearly and have the privilege of sharing slices of life and peanut butter pie with.
my baby and I were gardening with my dad (76) and there is a wild purple flowering plant that has appeared. He isn’t sure the name of it, so he said he would be emailing a photo to his close friend who used to own a plant nursery.
I remember thinking I could very easily look it up, but how much sweeter it is to lean upon someone’s life work to create connection.
You've captured the mood that AI puts us in so well... good-humored but painfully poignant, even pathetic--our reaching for readymades. It's like Hallmark cards on jet fuel. We've been moving in this direction since mid-century last with television, telephones... now "smart" phones -- with texting, which is actually a retreat from telephone calls (and telephone calls were a retreat from face to face coffee, tea, and scones). Call me a Luddite, but much technology has a sulfurous smell to me, and AI has full-on demonic overtones. One of the titles given by the Apostle Paul to the devil is Prince of the Power of the Air. I don't think it's too much of a stretch to update that to "Airwaves".
Yeah, that title had me wondering, too. So I had to read even though I didn't feel like I wanted to take the time right then. But, as always, I'm glad I did. Your littlest litlle is a precious, precious gift. The sight of her always brings me joy. Incidentally, about 9 mos ago I bought a townhouse in lower Mllrsvll--in Manor Oaks development. Still settling in. I'll give you the address next book order. You and Maile were praying for this!
I felt the same way! I almost didn't bother reading it and was feeling so sad that Shawn--whose writing I enjoy so much and who generally has a wise perspective--could have fallen for this.
Once again, he came through with a powerful piece. I love it!
The slower way is usually the way of Jesus, the way of love. So sad to see the world opt for artificial and efficient instead. Loved this article and shared it!
Gertrude Stein anticipated AI exactly when she wrote “There is no there there.” There is always imperfect but oh so particular and personal. AI is the modern condo built on the lot where our childhood home once stood.
This makes my morning! Well, after walking the dogs and picking up their poop and stopping every 7 cm to smell the most amazing scents, and starting coffee and oatmeal, reading this makes my morning like the blueberries that are on my oatmeal. So gorgeous. Thank you
Reads like this make me so desperately sad to be autistic. I don’t know anyone to ask for cool stuff. I wish I did. Socialising is not my strongest suit.
I love this SO MUCH! It's a beautiful argument for keeping life real and precious, which is how your writing always feels to me. I'm keeping this present in my heart, for the times I'm tempted to reach for convenience over conversation. ❤️
What struck me most here wasn’t actually the critique of AI. It was the defense of friction.
The piece keeps returning to the idea that the imperfect, inconvenient, deeply human parts of life are not obstacles to meaning, they are the meaning.
Some lines here genuinely ache. Especially the section about the parent writing a wedding speech from lived love instead of polished perfection. That landed hard.
Yes, Shawn! Yes! These are the exact thoughts I have been discussing in my community! I wrote my own poem to AI called “Intelligence,” but this angle towards leaning away from our communities is HOT on my mind. I love how you wrote through it. I will say it was your provocative title that brought me here. Bravo.
My grandmother is basically blind, and my grandfather is basically deaf— but yesterday I called them to get a peanut butter pie recipe. My grandfather pulled a recipe card and tried to transcribe my grandmother’s scrawl to me over the phone, while my grandmother shouted corrections in the background. I wrote it all down on a piece of paper. I resisted the urge today to find a recipe online to compare it to (just in case!). Instead I made it just how it was shouted out to me. It’s lovely. Lovelier for the way it was given, and not sourced. Thanks for this poem. It also felt given.
I love this story so much. Not to mention how happy they were to hear from you!
"given, and not sourced". I really love that. Beautiful.
I would bet good money, they loved every second giving you that recipe over the phone. Love that you could have this moment with them.
What a blessing to have this! I have been trying for years to get my Nana’s recipes since she passed but my uncle is holding them hostage… she was a multiple blue ribbon Pillsbury winner and owned a restaurant when I was a wee hobbit. Notebooks full of recipes—collecting dust.
“Instead I made it just how it was shouted out to me.”
Shouted PB pie recipe❣️❣️
That's its name now.
My quiet grandfather, whose blindness gets worse by the day, started learning to read Biblical Greek when he got the diagnosis. He will often mutter clever and hilarious jabs at my grandmother, who is the chattiest ray of sunshine you would ever meet and cannot hear at all out of her right ear. She will make faces and gestures at him when he teases her or takes a joke a little too far for her liking. The knowing, affectionate glances I share with her and the laughter I stifle at the things I’m not supposed to be able to hear him say are the greatest intangible things I will ever own. There’s not much of a point to my sharing this besides the wonderful joy it is to be human alongside these elders we love so dearly and have the privilege of sharing slices of life and peanut butter pie with.
Oh my this is so heartwarming, and what a moment to cherish too. Thanks for sharing.
I adore this.
This is beautiful. I have my grandmother’s pecan pie recipe, that she made with pecans from her farm. Pies can be ties that link families together.
I still call my mom for recipes.
What a nice memory you have of your grandparents relaying the recipe to you.
Good story thank you. How many teaspoons or cups of shouts would that be? Clearly chunky peanut 🥜 butter?
You make real, human life seem so messy and inefficient and gloriously wonderful. May we always champion our humanity in such a way.
Amen.
So on point! By the way, I have been where you are now!
Dang, you just summarized a big chunk of Pope Leo’s encyclical with this one sentence
my baby and I were gardening with my dad (76) and there is a wild purple flowering plant that has appeared. He isn’t sure the name of it, so he said he would be emailing a photo to his close friend who used to own a plant nursery.
I remember thinking I could very easily look it up, but how much sweeter it is to lean upon someone’s life work to create connection.
Thank you for this read
Leaning upon someone else's life work! Yes!
You've captured the mood that AI puts us in so well... good-humored but painfully poignant, even pathetic--our reaching for readymades. It's like Hallmark cards on jet fuel. We've been moving in this direction since mid-century last with television, telephones... now "smart" phones -- with texting, which is actually a retreat from telephone calls (and telephone calls were a retreat from face to face coffee, tea, and scones). Call me a Luddite, but much technology has a sulfurous smell to me, and AI has full-on demonic overtones. One of the titles given by the Apostle Paul to the devil is Prince of the Power of the Air. I don't think it's too much of a stretch to update that to "Airwaves".
Thanks, Bruce! I'm a huge fan, by the way. Love your work!
Thanks brother!
that first preview in my notifications had me hooked, you scared me for a minute there. been such a fan for a while, idk why i ever doubted you😂
That's hilarious :)
Yeah, that title had me wondering, too. So I had to read even though I didn't feel like I wanted to take the time right then. But, as always, I'm glad I did. Your littlest litlle is a precious, precious gift. The sight of her always brings me joy. Incidentally, about 9 mos ago I bought a townhouse in lower Mllrsvll--in Manor Oaks development. Still settling in. I'll give you the address next book order. You and Maile were praying for this!
I felt the same way! I almost didn't bother reading it and was feeling so sad that Shawn--whose writing I enjoy so much and who generally has a wise perspective--could have fallen for this.
Once again, he came through with a powerful piece. I love it!
The slower way is usually the way of Jesus, the way of love. So sad to see the world opt for artificial and efficient instead. Loved this article and shared it!
Thanks, Melissa! Yes, slowing down.
Artificial and efficient. Perfectly said!
Gertrude Stein anticipated AI exactly when she wrote “There is no there there.” There is always imperfect but oh so particular and personal. AI is the modern condo built on the lot where our childhood home once stood.
Yes it is.
This makes my morning! Well, after walking the dogs and picking up their poop and stopping every 7 cm to smell the most amazing scents, and starting coffee and oatmeal, reading this makes my morning like the blueberries that are on my oatmeal. So gorgeous. Thank you
Ha! Thanks!
Reads like this make me so desperately sad to be autistic. I don’t know anyone to ask for cool stuff. I wish I did. Socialising is not my strongest suit.
I’m really sorry, Wyatt.
Same Wyatt.
Ugh! This took a turn I wasn’t expecting! (as a person who would 100% use AI to look up the recipe and plan the vacation…👀)
I'm sure it has many wonderful uses :) But whenever a human can fill that space, I think it's important we keep leaning on each other!
agreed, the problem is the overuse, misuse and the free access to AI rather than the tool itself
I love this SO MUCH! It's a beautiful argument for keeping life real and precious, which is how your writing always feels to me. I'm keeping this present in my heart, for the times I'm tempted to reach for convenience over conversation. ❤️
Convenience is so ... convenient!
100%!
This is wonderful, wonderful. Thank you.
Thanks, Tracey!
What struck me most here wasn’t actually the critique of AI. It was the defense of friction.
The piece keeps returning to the idea that the imperfect, inconvenient, deeply human parts of life are not obstacles to meaning, they are the meaning.
Some lines here genuinely ache. Especially the section about the parent writing a wedding speech from lived love instead of polished perfection. That landed hard.
I love this……a lot. There’s so much we’re missing out on all in the name of “efficiency” & speed. So many human connections that are so important.
Ugh, efficiency. Thanks!
This is my new favorite piece of writing. Thank you, Shawn.
Thanks, Laura.
Yes, Shawn! Yes! These are the exact thoughts I have been discussing in my community! I wrote my own poem to AI called “Intelligence,” but this angle towards leaning away from our communities is HOT on my mind. I love how you wrote through it. I will say it was your provocative title that brought me here. Bravo.
Thanks, Sarah!