Beth Arnold

LETTER FROM PARIS: 28 days (without the internet)

Image via Wikipedia

By Beth Arnold

 

WHEN I THINK of the flap copy for the book I’m about to go off to write, these are the first words that come to my mind:

“If Elizabeth Gilbert had sought solace from Internet addiction instead of from a crushing divorce, this is the book she might’ve written. Beth Arnold’s 28 days (without the internet) makes us laugh and cry in equal measure, and not just for Arnold but for ourselves. Arnold’s compelling personal chronicle—of her own slippery slide into virtual life and her courageous effort to escape and regain the wholeness of her humanity—is the book that all frazzled, fragmented 21^st-century technoslaves have been waiting for. Even if they don’t know it yet.”

It is a crazy world we live in. Ever since the Industrial Revolution, elders of every generation have lamented changes in their social fabric, but never in the history of man have we encountered a rabbit hole like the Internet. It provides instant gratification for anything we’ve

Jours of Our Lives: 40) KICKED OUT…TO PARIS

by Beth Arnold

An ongoing series about uprooting our lives in America and moving to France. For what's happened before, see previous Jours of Our Lives entries here.

 

This column is dedicated to Snapp Morgan—handsome, smart dog about town in both Little Rock, Arkansas, and Paris, France. He was the dearest of dogs, a true friend, a vital member of our family. Snappman, I know your grandmother met you in Heaven with a juicy bone, and you are flying high.

 

ALMOST AS SOON as we returned to Collioure from Morocco, our 67-year-old landlord informed us that we would have to move out of our garret loft so his latest girlfriend could move in. Even in the spirit of Sowing Late-ish Oats, I couldn’t imagine why he would prefer a romantic arrangement to our good company and the enticing aromas of my cookery drifting down his stairwell (he dined with us quite often). But he did and kicked us out anyway.

Our apartment in Collioure

As longtime homeowners and newish nomads, we weren’t used to being evicted from our household. But in spite of that shock, this nudge gave us the opportunity to do something I had been wanting the three of us to do anyway—move to Paris!

Letter From Paris: Paris - Delhi - Bombay

A few shots of the dynamic Paris - Delhi - Bombay exhibition at the Centre Pompidou.  I loved its cultural mission and its energy...

Letter From Paris: Ile Saint-Louis

The tip of the Île Saint-Louis...

A place to sit and reflect...to regard the reflections in the water.  To think about what you see.

 

Photo by Beth Arnold

 

---Beth Arnold in Paris