#146: The problem with “being present” - by Haley Nahman

haleynahman.substack.com · 1,542 words · saved by 3 readers

Digital photography did away with everything annoying about film: the waiting, the choosing, the not-knowing. In turn, we got new problems: neuroticism, distraction, vanity.

Last week, Bug started breathing like an astronaut with a leak in his helmet. Fast, shallow, and panicky. My cat’s been terminally ill for a couple years now, but I’d never seen him this distressed. He kept settling into new spots around the apartment, where he’d gasp for air, as if he might find more oxygen in a different place. I sobbed in fear. I took a video to send to Avi, who was picking up lunch for us a half mile away. Five minutes later, I took another video, and 20 minutes later, in the car on our way to the animal hospital, I took another. Each video resembled the last, but I…

#146: The problem with “being present” - by Haley Nahman

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