flâneur

be an asker - by Ava - bookbear express

ava.substack.com · 1,172 words · saved by 1 readers

My mom was the one who taught me how to be insistent. When I was a kid and she was trying to change a flight reservation or persuade someone to do something she would spend literal hours on the phone—she’d just keep calling back until she found someone who would do it. At the time I found that super embarrassing, as kids do. But looking back, I see that I internalized something important: how to ask for what you want.

Helen Frankenthaler, Riverhead, 1961 My mom was the one who taught me how to be insistent. When I was a kid and she was trying to change a flight reservation or persuade someone to do something she would spend literal hours on the phone—she’d just keep calling back until she found someone who would do it. At the time I found that super embarrassing, as kids do. But looking back, I see that I internalized something important: how to ask for what you want. To be clear, I don’t mean this in the sense of you should harass people. Asking in the wrong way can be bad, and asking when someone’s…

related reading