02 Dec Three Things – Dec. 1, 2020

First thing: The following quote from Book I of Cicero’s The Republic has struck a cord with me this week:

“One cannot embark on a thing of such importance when one’s program of work is full and one’s mind is already occupied. Two things are needed: freedom from work and freedom from worry” 

The past few years of my life have seen anything but “freedom from worry,” and I’ve been challenging myself over the past several months to minimize my own ‘program of work’ so that I can be more focused on what is important. I’m assuming I may not be the only one who struggles with over-work and over-worry;) This line really hit the nail on the head for me. 

Second thing: Flipping through a National Geographic coffee-table book over the Thanksgiving holiday, I stumbled upon the story of Robin Lee Graham. As a 16-year old, Robin set out on an around-the-world sailing trip in 1965–solo. He finally made it back home five years later, sailing into port on a new boat and with a wife. I was incredulous as I read the overview of his story and I still have so many questions (How does a 16 year-old accomplish this without computers? How did his parents allow this?) 

Third thing: I am a quarter of the way through Barack Obama’s new book A Promised Land and it’s an absolute pleasure to read. This is the third presidential memoir I’ve read in the past few months (Bush and Clinton are the other two) and I’m blown away by how approachable and relatable Obama’s writing is. Despite my being a Republican, I’ve always admired Obama’s paternal, mature leadership and I’ve appreciated his efforts to work across party lines. (I’ll always remember his final State of the Union Address as the most unifying, inspiring speech he gave.) A Promised Land is a LONG book (in fact it’s only the first of two volumes), but I recommend reading it. (Or listening to it! The audiobook is 29 hours and narrated by Obama.)

I hope you have a great week! 

Aaron McNany