man of letters

anna asked me yesterday while we were out doing errands what would be my ideal job if i didn't have to work for money. we're not talking careers or jobs even, the kind of work we must do to pay our way in this world, but something done out of love, i guess, work that is like a career but more so. i don't know what i'd do. movie critic? that's not really a job or career even tho some writers try to make it so. travel blogger? that would be cool if i didn't have to work for money and could write about whatever i pleased. but i could do that now albeit on a vastly reduced scale. how about poet? anna reminded me that poetry is not a career or job. it is what one makes a life. i'm doing that right now with varying degrees of failure. so i came up with the antiquated phrase, man of letters. why not. i couldn't put that on my tax returns. that is until i can retire from my dayjob. i thought about going all west coast laid-back post-modern and call myself, in the style of the coen bros' flick the big lewbowski, dude of letters. however, that sounds rather precious, and living in the world of words might be cute but it ain't precious. so man of letters it is. until i can think of something else.

until then, happy easter, all y'all.