55. Madge’s Snapshots

If you were to stop by Nora’s mom’s house, she might show you her journal of “snapshots”, which are descriptions of the beautiful things she sees every day. (Did she steal our idea or did we steal hers?)

If you want more Madge check out the Terrible Thanks for Asking episode “Nora Needs A New Dad”.

Transcripts may not appear in their final version and are subject to change.

madge: [00:00:00] At the bottom of this page. [00:00:00][0.7]

madge: [00:00:01] I wrote Random fact Birds Don’t like Rice Krispies. Why did I write that? Okay, so that’s the first one. [00:00:11][9.3]

[10.0]

I’m Nora McInerny, and it’s going to be okay.

This is my mom, Margaret.

She lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

And she’s been doing her own version of this podcast. Secretly. For months now. 

madge: [00:00:24] All right. All right. I’ll read you some snapshots. So what’s a snapshot? I know you’re dying to know, right? You’re dying to know what a snapshot is because you normally think it’s a photograph. So it’s like a verbal photograph. So when you see something random during the day that you think that, okay, that’s just a cool little image, right? [00:00:47][22.5]

madge: [00:02:21] I got the idea from this newsletter I get from. [00:02:25][4.2]

madge: [00:02:26] A guy who has. [00:02:26][0.5]

madge: [00:02:27] A book and a newsletter called The Art of Noticing. And he has all kinds of different props. Sometimes they’re really, really interesting. And I. [00:02:37][9.9]

madge: [00:02:39] I tried them, so I thought the. [00:02:41][2.0]

madge: [00:02:41] Snapshot was particularly interesting in the example that he gave was very engaging. So I thought, okay, it’s just like noticing something during the day that, you know, I, I like to think I’m a visual person. [00:02:53][12.2]

madge: [00:02:53] So anyway, that’s what it is. It’s just a very short description. [00:02:57][3.1]

madge: [00:02:58] Of something that you see that. [00:03:00][1.6]

madge: [00:03:00] That sticks with you. So I usually just write them in my journal and I. [00:03:05][4.3]

madge: [00:03:05] Don’t write every day, but if I see something, I just randomly put it in whenever, whenever it occurs. [00:03:11][6.2]

[44.1]

madge: [00:03:00] That sticks with you. So I usually just write them in my journal and I. [00:03:05][4.3]

madge: [00:03:05] Don’t write every day, but if I see something, I just randomly put it in whenever, whenever it occurs. [00:03:11][6.2]

madge: [00:03:12] So here’s another one. Snapshot Heading east on 28th Street stopped at a traffic light. Here comes a guy on a white vesper scooter. Terrific posture. Crossbody bag, black pants, white T-shirt, bald. [00:03:29][16.3]

madge: [00:03:30] No helmet. [00:03:30][0.6]

madge: [00:03:32] Like a scene from a movie. Where’s he going? [00:03:34][2.4]

madge: [00:03:35] So confident. [00:03:35][0.3]

madge: [00:03:38] And then I guess the same day or I don’t know when it was, but shortly thereafter, snapshot walking on the east side of Lake of the Isles, that intense sunsets, shimmering gold and orange light through a clearing in the trees, two yellow kayaks side by side, girls with orange sleek life vests backlit deep in conversation, glowing like coals ready to. [00:04:04][25.9]

madge: [00:04:04] Burst in the flame. That was a fun one. I thought that was a cool image through the trees. [00:04:11][7.2]

madge: [00:04:14] Lots of. [00:04:14][0.4]

madge: [00:04:15] Driving things. [00:04:15][0.4]

madge: [00:04:16] Snapshot 6:30 a.m.. Driving on Highway 100 north. All four lanes full. Clouds hanging heavy, but a blue streak on the horizon. Okay, let’s see. Where are we? Snapshot Tuesday walking on path to the first bridge at Wood Lake rustling in activity in the underbrush on my on my right. A robust squirrel sprints across the path with the fox in close pursuit. The squirrel escaped, hustled right up a tree. [00:04:54][37.4]

Speaker 3: [00:04:55] The squirrel made it. [00:04:56][0.9]

madge: [00:04:56] The squirrel made it. Although I’m not fond of squirrel. So I was. I was rooting for the fox. [00:05:01][4.6]

[109.7]

madge: [00:10:44] Otherwise you go through your days and you’re just driving somewhere like you have your routine. Well, I don’t really have a routine. [00:10:48][4.6]

Speaker 3: [00:10:50] That’s where I get it. [00:10:51][0.9]

madge: [00:10:52] You’re. You’re just driving and you’re. [00:10:54][2.4]

madge: [00:10:54] You’re going somewhere and you’re not really noticing and being present, you know? It’s the sky, the clouds, the people walking along the street. [00:11:07][12.8]

[20.7]

madge: [00:11:51] there is, there is a. [00:11:52][0.8]

madge: [00:11:52] Lot of beauty in ordinary things because really, when you think about it, most of the stuff around us is pretty ordinary. It’s just, how do you see them? [00:11:59][7.3]

[8.1]

CREDITS