Ty! Appreciate that, because something this short takes a surprising amount of work. It’s easier to write long about [latest topic] than short about [balloons].
What gets me is the kid understanding the event completely - not processing it, just taking the full weight. Adults would add context: wind happens, you tried. But she had no buffer between the magic working and the magic failing, and the person who made it work just standing there watching it go. That might be the first real lesson - the people who know things still can't control things.
The balloon catching in the tree instead of disappearing into the sky feels like the universe refusing to let you off the hook. It would be neater if it became a fish's problem.
There’s something unsettling in how close it came to being controlled…
like it almost became a system, something predictable, and then slipped just outside of it. The part that stays is not even the loss, but that moment where it looked stable.
The balloon still up in the pine — bleached, deflated, a hundred feet above everything — is the essay’s best image. Most mistakes have the decency to vanish. This one became permanent furniture.
The title is exactly right. Hubris isn’t usually the grand gesture — it’s the moment right after you’ve made something work, when you stop imagining what you didn’t account for. You’d solved the problem. The wind just hadn’t been invited to the demonstration.
I’m curious whether the series is building toward something specific about how children process failure-by-adult, or whether that thread is meant to stay unresolved. The child’s “perfect oval” of a mouth feels like it holds more weight than one entry can carry.
What a wonderful reset this morning, Eric. So vividly human and real, it inclines me to turn off my screen and go outside. Thank you.
Beautifully crafted, Erik. Tone, imagery, all of it.
Ty! Appreciate that, because something this short takes a surprising amount of work. It’s easier to write long about [latest topic] than short about [balloons].
I hear that!
The eternal verities of Charlie Brown!
What gets me is the kid understanding the event completely - not processing it, just taking the full weight. Adults would add context: wind happens, you tried. But she had no buffer between the magic working and the magic failing, and the person who made it work just standing there watching it go. That might be the first real lesson - the people who know things still can't control things.
this series reminds me of life after god from douglas coupland so much, i really like it
Ty, that’s high praise. Great book.
not the most famous book of the author, but definitely one of my favorites
I feel this one.
Incredible passage, thanks for penning this one!
So good. You put me there, standing next to your wife, wondering what shenanigans would happen next.
Ha! She is used to my shenanigans and has a preternatural sense of their outcomes.
This is really beautiful. Thanks for taking the time to share.
The balloon catching in the tree instead of disappearing into the sky feels like the universe refusing to let you off the hook. It would be neater if it became a fish's problem.
What a terrific idea.. letters to children. Good job, Eric.
Beautiful writing!
There’s something unsettling in how close it came to being controlled…
like it almost became a system, something predictable, and then slipped just outside of it. The part that stays is not even the loss, but that moment where it looked stable.
Erik, I'd love to see you blog about what this company is doing:
https://arenamagazine.substack.com/p/max-hodaks-quest-for-consciousness
The balloon still up in the pine — bleached, deflated, a hundred feet above everything — is the essay’s best image. Most mistakes have the decency to vanish. This one became permanent furniture.
The title is exactly right. Hubris isn’t usually the grand gesture — it’s the moment right after you’ve made something work, when you stop imagining what you didn’t account for. You’d solved the problem. The wind just hadn’t been invited to the demonstration.
I’m curious whether the series is building toward something specific about how children process failure-by-adult, or whether that thread is meant to stay unresolved. The child’s “perfect oval” of a mouth feels like it holds more weight than one entry can carry.
Hi Erik! Please is there a free trial of the newsletter? Please I’m a broke journalism student from Brazil that loves your writing