Hiking up to the remains of the Prizren Fortress in the city of Prizren, Kosovo, requires fortitude, imagination, and a few extra breaths. Our hike was steep and burdened by unreliable knees but lightened by the questions of young and curious minds. My hiking companions ranged in age from two and a half to thirty-five…
In addition to being a Founding Father, the architect of the University of Virginia (my alma mater), and a philosopher of democracy, Thomas Jefferson was an inventor, known for his precision and innovation. On this July 4th, as we celebrate our independence and the empowering language of the Declaration of Independence, we are also reminded…
Lately, I’ve been pondering the concept of perseverance, its roots, its costs, and potential outcomes. When does perseverance bleed into obsession? When does commitment become corrosive? Is perseverance always a positive quality? I seem to have inherited a healthy (or unhealthy) dose of perseverance from my mother, which lately has begun to feel like a…
Is it the journey or the destination that matters? Last month, my husband and I walked the Sanders-Monticello trail outside Charlottesville with his parents. The four-mile round-trip walk through the forest on a well-constructed wooden pathway was lovely and relatively easy. Little did I know, it was inspired by Thomas Jefferson himself. “Of prospect I…
This blog is about inspiration. We all have our go-to activities or places when we need to be inspired or uplifted. For me, usually a hike or a trip to a new (or old) place or spending time with family (even if just memories of family) will rid me of the blues. If I am…
The past can scream at us in unusual and instructive ways. An avocado-colored refrigerator is a bygone token from the late fifties or early sixties, reflecting the sleek and modern amenities of the time. Now, we chuckle at the quaintness of these antiquities. This particular photo is of the Medgar Evers family kitchen at the…
