“I reminded myself that I can just glue some receipts to pages in an imperfect manner and keep going.”
I really appreciated that bus story! Thanks for that note. I appreciate your receipt-glue efforts.
Thanks for sharing the NCR piece on women and AI. I’m glad you were included. I found the example of a mom using AI to discern patterns in her children a bit sad — if it amplifies her feminine genius, it erases that of another woman: auntie, mother, friend. But I found the discussion interesting!
Thank you for the kind words about my piece. Human care is a privilege — whether in nursing, motherhood, marriage, friendship. I know I am/was not the best caregiver, despite all my best intentions, but there is so much to be gained by both sides in mutual love and formation when this care happens between two children of Adam. Last night I opened an old book and my bookmark was a handwritten note from a patient’s wife, which she had given with a hand-knit baby sweater (I was pregnant). There are not words to express the significance of knowing we matter to another person in those moments when souls are so close to the fleshy surface of things. (After all those words:) I’m thankful for your perspective.
And! I loved the note about your husband and the writing conference. How sweet. I hope you enjoy it!
Thank you for such a thoughtful comment, Leah! I also really struggle when I hear about people using AI to do more "intuitive" tasks. I know for some people it is an aide, but it's worrisome to me that we are outsourcing somethjng so deeply human. Do other people feel that way about math, though? I have no problem using a calculator and outsourcing my ability to do long division: maybe I should? Such a tricky thing!
What a beautiful reflection on nursing and caregiving- "when souls are so close to the fleshy surface of things"- it's such an intimate place to be with another person.
I am very blessed in such a generous man! And will try to report back about the conference if I can bring myself to just glue in the receipts :)
And I love the metaphor of the less than perfect scrapbook! I would feel exactly the same, envious of my fellow passenger but also wanting to wait, and filter things through my memory of them.
Not sure what even goes on at writer's conferences, truth be told! You'll have to give us the low-down afterwards.
I appreciated your section "We're all in this together" -- Spending time with people who aren't all parents of young kids is always, always nice, and feels more naturally enjoyable to me. Ha
What you said in that piece about women being "instinctively cautious or hesitant" about AI rings true. Although I appreciate, for instance, Leah Sargeant's recent post about designing with for particularly good uses in mind. Not sure I ever will ever be so adventurous... I have enough digital tech in my life... but I appreciate that kind of imagination about it.
That’s so good to hear about how nice it is to spend time with people in other walks of life. I find it really uplifting when there’s a good mix - it tends to stop the conversation being really monolithic (‘how do you handle bedtime with a toddler?’ / “Did you see what the latest politician said about x?”)
I do think there are some great uses for AI, especially computer uses. That is, I think it’s a great idea to use a better computer to do better computing. After wrestling with the gibberish code of double taxation, for example, I found myself begging the AI gods to invent a really simple way to process all the ridiculousness!
“I reminded myself that I can just glue some receipts to pages in an imperfect manner and keep going.”
I really appreciated that bus story! Thanks for that note. I appreciate your receipt-glue efforts.
Thanks for sharing the NCR piece on women and AI. I’m glad you were included. I found the example of a mom using AI to discern patterns in her children a bit sad — if it amplifies her feminine genius, it erases that of another woman: auntie, mother, friend. But I found the discussion interesting!
Thank you for the kind words about my piece. Human care is a privilege — whether in nursing, motherhood, marriage, friendship. I know I am/was not the best caregiver, despite all my best intentions, but there is so much to be gained by both sides in mutual love and formation when this care happens between two children of Adam. Last night I opened an old book and my bookmark was a handwritten note from a patient’s wife, which she had given with a hand-knit baby sweater (I was pregnant). There are not words to express the significance of knowing we matter to another person in those moments when souls are so close to the fleshy surface of things. (After all those words:) I’m thankful for your perspective.
And! I loved the note about your husband and the writing conference. How sweet. I hope you enjoy it!
Thank you for such a thoughtful comment, Leah! I also really struggle when I hear about people using AI to do more "intuitive" tasks. I know for some people it is an aide, but it's worrisome to me that we are outsourcing somethjng so deeply human. Do other people feel that way about math, though? I have no problem using a calculator and outsourcing my ability to do long division: maybe I should? Such a tricky thing!
What a beautiful reflection on nursing and caregiving- "when souls are so close to the fleshy surface of things"- it's such an intimate place to be with another person.
I am very blessed in such a generous man! And will try to report back about the conference if I can bring myself to just glue in the receipts :)
That bookshop sounds lovely Kerri, and I'm guessing it resembles G.David in Cambridge... would love another trip to Oxford!
Yes! Smaller but similar in spirit- dreamy places for those of us who adore the smell of old books :)
And I love the metaphor of the less than perfect scrapbook! I would feel exactly the same, envious of my fellow passenger but also wanting to wait, and filter things through my memory of them.
I’m glad I’m not alone in this! I suppose both types are necessary but it’s hard to feel content with either.
Not sure what even goes on at writer's conferences, truth be told! You'll have to give us the low-down afterwards.
I appreciated your section "We're all in this together" -- Spending time with people who aren't all parents of young kids is always, always nice, and feels more naturally enjoyable to me. Ha
What you said in that piece about women being "instinctively cautious or hesitant" about AI rings true. Although I appreciate, for instance, Leah Sargeant's recent post about designing with for particularly good uses in mind. Not sure I ever will ever be so adventurous... I have enough digital tech in my life... but I appreciate that kind of imagination about it.
I will try to report back!
That’s so good to hear about how nice it is to spend time with people in other walks of life. I find it really uplifting when there’s a good mix - it tends to stop the conversation being really monolithic (‘how do you handle bedtime with a toddler?’ / “Did you see what the latest politician said about x?”)
I do think there are some great uses for AI, especially computer uses. That is, I think it’s a great idea to use a better computer to do better computing. After wrestling with the gibberish code of double taxation, for example, I found myself begging the AI gods to invent a really simple way to process all the ridiculousness!