Tapering Is Life

I am in the “tapering” phase of marathon training. Depending on when you read this, I will likely be in France, and I may have already completed the Paris marathon (with hopes I’m not jinxing myself by writing that). I’ve been training for this marathon since December, 20 weeks total, of which the last three are considered the “taper.”

When you taper, you reduce your weekly mileage. I was curious about the word origin of taper, and come to find out, it derives from the Old English tapor, which meant a candle or wick, just like the modern taper candle. (This is the primary definition of taper as a noun, whereas the secondary definition is “one who applies or dispenses tape.” So, if my heel is hurting on Sunday and I decide to wrap it, I’ll be a tapered taper. Bah-dum-bum.)

The melting, the tapering, of a candle; the tapering phase of marathon training; they evoke a different time of year, like late autumn. And yet this is spring! We shouldn’t be tapering, we should be growing, expanding, lengthening, like the days and the backyard weeds and my children’s bodies and feet.

Fortunately, tapering is just a phase; then there is the marathon itself- the whole reason we taper, to have “fresh legs” when it counts. Later, I’ll be in the recovery phase, and then, naturally, another building phase toward the next race. As in running, so too in life.

I am also in the tapering phase of this MFA term, with only one “packet” (ie bundle of work) left to turn in for this semester. And then, building again, as I enter my last term, the most important one, in which I’ll write my thesis. More on that in a future newsletter. How about you, are you tapering something? Growing something else? Let me know! I’d love to hear from you.

In the spirit of “play,” per my last newsletter, I’ve been writing a lot of playful stories. Soon enough I’ll get around to submitting them and (hopefully) getting them published. In the meantime, I’d like to share some other things with you: funny things, cute things, thought provoking things.

---

A Funny Thing

This photo, which I love so very much.

photo by Beowulf Sheehan

I like to think these subjects were told: close your mouths, purse those lips, whatever you do, don’t show any teeth! Hunch your shoulders slightly (man on right missed that memo). Choose an expression somewhere between disdainful, uncomfortable, and bemused, but avoid looking happy (woman on left, too much smile!). Bonus points for gripping your left wrist with your right hand.

In case you don’t know them: these are a few literary luminaries, the director, founder, two finalists, and winner of the Story Prize from 2018-2019 (from left to right, Julie Lindsey, Deborah Eisenberg, Jamel Brinkley, Lauren Groff (winner) and Larry Dark). I think it takes some chutzpah to win the Story Prize and forego a smile! Back when I was in middle school, my friends and I used to call this non-smiling type of picture a “guy photo.” (Not very clever, but the guys in our grade never smiled in photos, so there it is.)

Me (center) and two of my best friends doing a “guy photo.” The hairstyles were unrelated to the guy photo concept. Middle school, y’all.

---

A Cute Thing

I mean, look at this guy.

Photo courtesy Owls in Towels

When I saw this, it reminded me of one morning, back in California, when our dog spotted an owl in our front yard. The owl was chilling among the very high weeds (they had not been tapered), and when our dog approached, the owl didn’t fly away, so we called Wildcare. They came with their towels, wrapped him up, and brought him back to the shelter so they could check him for injury. Owls in Towels- it’s a thing!

Need more photos of owls in towels? Visit owlsintowels.org. H/T Austen Kleon for the rec.

---

Another Funny Thing

c/o The Onion

The picture is just too perfect. My dad and stepmom, both Catholic and both with wicked senses of humor, would have loved it. Read the article here.

---

A Thought-Provoking Thing

Need a topic of conversation for your next dinner party? This comes from Adam Grant. He writes:

It turns out that if you want to gain insight into other people’s thoughts, feelings, and motives, reading fiction typically beats nonfiction. Fiction is also better for enhancing empathy than watching TV and movies. Across 70 experiments, novels did more to boost concern for and understanding of others.

What’s unique about reading novels is that they invite us to imagine ourselves as the characters. When Katniss Everdeen, Harry Potter, or the March sisters are on a screen, you’re observing them. When you read their stories, you become them. Slowly but surely, that builds your capacity to see perspectives that aren’t yours and feel compassion for people who aren’t like you.

I don’t know whether I believe the above wholeheartedly, but I do adore the conclusion, in part because it’s self-serving (I hope one day you’ll be reading one of my novels, so how can I not endorse Grant’s take on this?).

On that note, I have two fiction recommendations for you. They are both short story collections by authors who are more famous for their novels.

1. Table for Two by Amor Towles. Towles can do no wrong, for goodness sakes. I could just as enthusiastically recommend A Gentleman in Moscow, The Lincoln Highway, or Rules of Civility, his three novels, but in Table for Two he works his magic on a smaller scale (perfect for pre-bedtime reading). There are eight or so short stories here, plus a novella that follows a character from Rules of Civility (although it’s not necessary to have read that book in order to understand and appreciate the novella). Towles’ strengths are manifold: rich characters, set against a particular place and time, a plot that often involves someone being duped, all elements woven together with such smart, sharp turns of phrase.

2. The Shell Collector by Anthony Doerr. Doerr is best known for his magnificent All the Light We Cannot See, which I read ten years ago and remarked “It’s been a while since I’ve been so impressed with a work of contemporary fiction.” (Ten years! It might be time to reread that one.) The Shell Collector was his debut, a collection of stories that travels to Kenya, Montana, Maine, Liberia, Oregon. The places are wild and the characters are restless. This is a great fit for readers who really love depictions of the natural world (and who are content with slower-paced plots).

Your Turn!

What made you laugh, cry, or think recently? Let me know- I love being in conversation with you. And as always, tell me the last great book you read.