ROBINSON’S RAMBLINGS

Phoneless in CoMo

AN ABRUPT CHANGE IN PLANS LEADS TO REDISCOVERY.

BY JOHN DRAKE ROBINSON · PHOTOS BY L.G. PATTERSON

Her morning started hectic as usual.

She had to wake her family, prepare breakfast, veto outfits, load backpacks and deliver the kids to school. But an extra layer of tragedy wrapped the family. Her smartphone — her lifeline — had found the bottom of the toilet.

Nobody would say for sure how it happened. Denials and accusations flew all around. All of her children touched her phone at one time or another that morning. At this point, it didn't matter how the phone was destroyed. It was gone.

As a result, her daily routine was in for a big change. She had planned to shop online. Now, she felt unprepared, naked without her phone. She knew a day at the phone store loomed, several agonizing hours before she could walk out with a replacement.

She cursed herself for being so dependent on electronics.

But suddenly, driving away from school, phoneless, a sense of empowerment washed over her. She realized that for this one day, she could fly under the radar, anonymous, unreachable. It gave her a feeling of independence. Sure, people depended on her to solve their problems, brighten their days, maintain world peace. But they would have to wait. In a moment of renewed purpose, she resolved that today would be her day.

She quickly decided on a plan — she would shop local.

Downtown Columbia was bustling. A stroll down 9th Street reacquainted her with several shops she had always loved but hadn't frequented for months, even years. At Shortwave’s, she pulled out a notepad and organized a list with a theme: the gifts she sought would have no cords or batteries.

She was after books. Children's books, novels, histories and mysteries.

She was lucky to live in Columbia, where among the 9th Street coffee houses, local bookstores thrive.

She could see the first bookstore while she browsed in Bluestem.

She crossed the street to enter Yellow Dog Bookshop and descended into its relic charm, with an old-world bookstore feel where she might uncover real treasures. She wandered through the narrow canyons of bookshelves, a mix of new and used books to fuel the voracious Columbia readership.

A few doors down the block, next to Lakota Coffee Co., Skylark Bookshop is a relatively new addition to the 9th Street scene. In contrast to Yellow Dog, Skylark has a crisp new feel. The staff was attentive and knowledgeable. She felt a sense of community pride knowing the store is owned locally by a bestselling author.

Lunchtime. Lots of options were available. But today, in keeping with her theme, Booches beckoned. No need to pay with a smartphone there, or even a credit card; Booches accepts cash only. She recalled her mother saying that women weren’t allowed in Booches until the ‘70s. But that’s ancient history.

Her next destination awaited down the street and around the corner where, across from Peace Park, a new addition to Columbia’s downtown skyline promised good reads and much more. The State Historical Society of Missouri has been around forever. It formerly occupied the basement of Mizzou’s Elmer Ellis Library. Now the historical society thrives in brand new digs. The building and its contents are impressive.

She went there because yet another local bookstore resides within its walls, a perfect place to find a book for dad. She ended up spending an hour wandering through the society’s stunning art museum wing, standing face to face with paintings by Missouri masters George Caleb Bingham and Thomas Hart Benton. She only wished she had her phone so she could take a couple of selfies and share them with the kids.

The kids!

Time to shuttle them to their activities. She couldn’t wait to thank them for helping her turn back the pages to a time before smartphones.

At least for one day.

John Drake Robinson is a former director of the Missouri Division of Tourism and has driven every mile of highway in the state. His appetite covers a wide range of subjects at johndrakerobinson.com.