On Friday Harper and I were working in the sunroom for a chunk of the day. She was painting and I was thinking about Pilgrim at Tinker Creek and working on putting together some bookmarks for kids for an upcoming reading event at Hadley’s school.
I have to write a paper on Dillard’s book, and it has to do with something I learned about writing. I got pretty attached to this book which surprised me because how many times do I have to tell all of you that I am not a nature girl but the book has been marked up, dog-eared, and the poor spine of it has been creased so that it’ll never close again. A couple of years ago at the Festival of Faith and Writing, I met Sarah Arthur and I think it was the book Gilead that we were discussing. I was saying something about how much I enjoyed the book and, as I sometimes do when I’m talking about stories, got rather animated. She said, “That book happened to you.” I loved that, and well, Tinker Creek happened to me.
So it helps for me to do something creatively repetitive while I’m thinking about a story that happened to me.
As Harper and I worked, a storm came through. The day was warm, so we had the windows open and the wind blew some of our papers off the table. I don’t remember hearing thunder, but the air was thick and there was a rumbling outside. Tree branches started to creak and scrape against each other. Harper asked, “What’s that?” and I said, “That’s spring. It’s on its way.”
And then it started to rain and Harper ran to get her rain boots, rain jacket, as well as her baby doll’s boots and jacket, and went outside on our porch. She yelled at me through the screen door, “Mommy! Mommy! I changed my mind of all the things I want to be. When I grow up I want to be a weather girl and an artist. I can make copies of the weather. So I’m standing out here for practice.”
I’m certain that whatever it is I write about Dillard will not be earth shattering. It probably won’t even be all that interesting. I’m shooting for somewhat coherent at this point. But one thing I am confident about these attempts at writing over the course of graduate school is that I am doing what Harper’s doing. I’m standing out here for practice.
since perfection is unattainable, i find it comforting that we are all standing out here, practicing all kinds of things, together.
That is very comforting, indeed. Thank you.
Gilead and Pilgrim at Tinker Creek are my two most favorite books in the world (and my third most favorite is Pride and Prejudice). I first read Pilgrim at Tinker Creek at ND about 10 years ago and I remember that it made me feel blind. How does one see the world in the beautiful, amazing way that Dillard does? The only thing that I could think to do was to count things. I remember going around campus trying to count the number of trees or the number of branches on the tree or the number of leaves on the branches. I’m sure whatever you have to say about Dillard would be more meaningful than that!
I just began rereading Pilgrim at Tinker Creek a few weeks ago and was just as enchanted this time. And I usually re-read Gilead every few years. I find them both magical.
Also, I approve of being a weather girl/artist!
“It made me feel blind.” I understand that comment, Emily. It also made me want to see what she sees (although, I still don’t know if I could stand to be out in nature like she is). I also like your comment about counting things. Something that I kept thinking while I read Tinker Creek was that she is taking account of a thing.
This comment made me miss our REC book club. If it were still going on, I think we would ride our bikes through Rock Creek Park after this discussion, don’t you think?