04 Why did I start reading Newspapers?

I woke up every morning fumbling for my phone which is usually on the bedside table. (And this was way before I started waking up at 5 am and practice Yoga and mindfulness). I would be greeted with a fleet of notifications from the news app, their headlines promising urgency. I tap the one that interests me only to hit a pay wall demanding a premium subscription I knew I already had. After I login and confirm my subscription I would immediately be distracted by the onslaught of ads. Blinking banners, intrusive pop ups and videos trying to get my attention and make me jump into the rabbit hole.

Frustrated by the relentless noise, I abandoned news apps, seeking solace in my web browser. However, each search engine's news section proved equally chaotic. A barrage of conflicting headlines from endless sources left me confused, unsure which one to read. All the websites still had the problem of clickbait ads. Worse yet, "live" news feeds churned out a relentless stream of updates, leaving me overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information.

I longed for a distraction-free, curated news source, one that wouldn't suck me into the swirling chaos of the digital world. Memories of my father and grandfather, quietly absorbed in their newspapers, hinted at a potential solution. Yet, I hesitated; wouldn't the daily editions simply replace one form of overwhelm with another?

My perspective shifted entirely during a visit to a Barnes and Noble in New York City last September. While buying a cup of coffee, my gaze settled on the Sunday edition of the New York Times. And thought I would try it and I bought it.