In her latest column in Baltimore Fishbowl, Prof. Marion Winik, who teaches memoir writing, publishing, and more at The University of Baltimore, does some self-assessment and realizes that, far from being the sole occupant of her home in the city's Evergreen neighborhood, she lives at the center of a virtual weigh station of activity and interactions—from neighbors who support her in unexpected ways to virtual assistants that ensure she stays productive, creative and fully engaged in living.
"I live by myself with a cat and a dog," she begins.
"Except it's not true. I don't actually live alone. On a recent transatlantic journey, the lens of distance allowed me to see the reality of my domestic set-up: I am actually living in a group home with an excellent assisted living program, a portion of which is delivered via artificial intelligence. I'll get to the AI part later. Let's start with the part implemented by human beings."
She describes leaving behind an "isolated" suburban existence in Pennsylvania 15 years ago, trading it for life on a bustling street filled with lively, all-in neighbors.
In that time, "I've had neighbors help me in ways almost too numerous to list. I shall
nonetheless try. Any such list would have to start with Neighbor Zero, Ken, the real
estate agent who sold me a house around the corner from his, not only gaining me entree
into the city's most coveted school district, but also into a wonderworld of neighborly
cooperation I first got inklings of during the Snowpocalypse of 2010, back when I
was still a youngun of 51."
Winik's neighbors, it seems, are there for every change in her life, large or small. They fix things, take care of her pets when she's traveling, offer a steady stream of conversation, and keep her moving forward.
In addition to that support, Winik says she's accepted AI as a helpmate in her prolific life as a contributor of book reviews, essays, columns and more.
"I do all the heavy lifting as far as thinking and writing goes," she writes. "Unlike the generation who is growing up with its temptations, I have 60 years of doing this all by myself under my belt. So while I understand why we tell the kids not to use it for their schoolwork, I certainly have no plans to give it up."
It's the same with her neighbors—her "assisted living for beginners" system.
"Some of the neighbors provide not services, but drama and comic relief, which are also essential parts of a full life," she says. "There’s the Very Angry Neighbor, the Parking-Obsessed Neighbor, the Super Chatty Neighbor, and the Kooky Upcycling Neighbor who leaves odd piles of things on the corner by her house in case others find they need a jar, a ponytail holder, or some partly-used, travel-sized toiletries."
All of this adds up to a simple conclusion: Marion Winik does not live alone. Far from it.
"The person I am now is much more considerate than I used to be, which turns out to be an important trait in my Evergreen group home, where, if you are sick, my matzo ball soup is likely on the way," she writes. "Where if you fall, someone will be there to help you up, or worse comes to worst, drive you to the ER."
Read Winik's column in Baltimore Fishbowl.
Learn more about Prof. Marion Winik.