I Miss You When I Blink

Essays

By: Mary Laura Philpott

Narrated by: Mary Laura Philpott

Length: 6 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

Acclaimed essayist and bookseller Mary Laura Philpott presents a charmingly relatable and wise memoir in essays about what happened after she checked off all the boxes on her successful life’s to-do list and realized she might need to reinvent the list - and herself.

Mary Laura Philpott thought she’d cracked the code: Always be right, and you’ll always be happy.

But once she’d completed her life’s to-do list (job, spouse, house, babies - check!), she found that instead of feeling content and successful, she felt anxious. Lost. Stuck in a daily grind of overflowing calendars, grueling small talk, and sprawling traffic. She’d done everything “right”, but she felt all wrong. What’s the worse failure, she wondered: smiling and staying the course or blowing it all up and running away? And are those the only options?

In this memoir in essays full of spot-on observations about home, work, and creative life, Philpott takes on the conflicting pressures of modern adulthood with wit and heart. She offers up her own stories to show that identity crises don’t happen just once or only at midlife; reassures us that small, recurring personal reinventions are both normal and necessary; and advises that if you’re going to faint, you should get low to the ground first. Most of all, Philpott shows that when you stop feeling satisfied with your life, you don’t have to burn it all down and set off on a transcontinental hike (unless you want to, of course). You can call upon your many selves to figure out who you are, who you’re not, and where you belong. Who among us isn’t trying to do that?

Like a pep talk from a sister, I Miss You When I Blink is the funny, poignant, and deeply affecting audiobook you’ll want to share with all your friends, as you learn what Philpott has figured out along the way: that multiple things can be true of us at once - and that sometimes doing things wrong is the way to do life right.

©2019 Mary Laura Philpott (P)2019 Simon & Schuster

Loved it!

I enjoyed this book so much! Light and hilarious look at the ups and downs of women’s lives.

I’m old enough to be her mom, and yet

Everything she writes about resonates with my own experience. The title essay is destined to be a classic. Loved every part of this book.

So very relatable!

Every time you want to beat yourself up for some quirky behavior she will confirm that it's not just you. There's no fix in here, but it sure feels good to know you're not alone. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and didn't want it to end.

Awesome

Really made an impact on me! Perhaps one reason is because I’m also a recovering perfectionist English major grad of Davidson! Excellent, authentic, articulate. Thank you, Mary Laura!

Wonderfully human

I loved listening to this book. The author describes how an imperfect life can actually be perfect. That we have everything we need even when we feel like we don’t. This book is also hilarious, witty, and shows an in depth human experience of a girl trying to get it right. Well done! I highly recommend this book!

Witty and Smart

I Miss You When I Blink is a combination of “oh my gosh, you feel that way too-giggle giggle” and “I know your pain- tear tear” that makes another working mom (trying to balance family, career and the ever elusive self-care) feel like she has a tribe. Mary Laura, Thanks for your honesty and your willingness to poke fun at your own journey so I feel more normal!

I laughed, I cried, I totally related

One of my favorite memoir essay collections ever. So relatable to the everyday struggles of mothers and women in midlife. Can’t wait to read Bomb Shelter next.

Light quick read. Fun. Not too deep.

An easy, quick, and overall good read. Nothing too deep or insightful. Funny in parts. Enjoyed some essays more than others.

Loved these essays!

These were so relatable. I was genuinely sorry when I finished listening. I know I'll go back and listen again and again!

Good for 30 somethings

I thought this book was well written and performed. But, I think the target audience is probably more toward women in their 30’s and early 40’s, especially if you are a perfectionist. I am in my mid fifties and I didn’t gain much insight from the stories, since many of the experiences the author
spoke about, were already behind me.