Photo by Kal Zabarsky
I
proudly hold a somewhat useless degree in Literature. So as you can imagine I love fun facts about
books! Recently I was on a walk and
discovered Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s childhood home is just blocks from my
office! I almost peed my pants with
excitement. Yes I am a nerd. Hence the title of this blog.
You may not be able to tell but I'm losing my mind right now! Longfellow LIVED HERE!!!!
So a
decade ago I discovered a super fun fact.
There is a hotel in Boston. (not the fun fact) In that hotel is a restaurant. (not the fun
fact) And in that restaurant literary
greats used to hang out and talk books, politics, science, and anything else that
insanely creative and smart people talk about. (THAT’S THE FUN FACT!!!!!) They were called the Saturday Club because one
Saturday night a month they would meet for dinner and conversation. And by they I mean Henry Wadsworth
Longfellow, Charles Dickens (when he was in town), Oliver Wendell Holmes, Ralph
Waldo Emerson and more!
Oh and Robert LOWELL. nbd.
They made it easy and gave me a fun fact display!
I lived
less than 10 miles away for 8 years. I
went into the city countless times. But
never went to eat at the Parker House.
Why?! Why do we sometimes neglect
to do things that are completely attainable?
I’ve been thinking a ton about being intentional with time. As I look back on the past year I realized I
missed a lot of good life living time. I
went into survival mode because of how chaotic and unbalanced my life felt and
forgot to enjoy the every day, good things around me. This year I want to be different. I want to drive 110 miles one way just to
have dinner with a friend. I want to go
for walks and be surprised by what I see. I want to buy plane tickets to visit far away
friends and not worry about what I could be doing with the money because I know
relationships are so much more important than anything else. I want to look at the clouds and have my
breath taken away by their sheer beauty and breadth!
And so I
have. And it’s been amazing! So when my birthday rolled around and the Best
Friend asked what I wanted to do; I immediately responded with Saturday brunch
at the Parker House! (I know they met
for dinner but I love breakfast foods way more than dinner)
That omlet was incredible! And there I am thinking great literary thoughts, or what I was going to wear on a date. And finally all the hotels conference rooms are named for authors. Clearly these people get me!
I
honestly felt more intellectual, better read, and more capable the minute I
walked in! I immediately decided I could
write a book. The atmosphere, food, and
company were perfect. Though the Best Friend
and I spent more time talking about men than books but I think that’s ok. I’m sure they complained or told funny
stories about their wives when they were being all geniousy. The
whole time we were there all I could think was, “Why did I wait so long to do
this?!” I was overwhelmingly thankful
for the chance to slow down and enjoy life in a famous landmark with someone so
special. We didn’t rush. We didn’t worry. We just were.
It was awesome.
As we
enter this crazy holiday time are you in survival mode or are you still able to
stop and smell the…mistletoe? Are there tricks you have to slow yourself down
and enjoy the true spirit of this time—thankfulness, joy, peace, love, and
others?
"Lives of great men all remind us, we can make our lives sublime, and, departing, leave behind us, footprints on the sands of time."
~Longfellow
(ok one more fun fact because I can! Longfellow is accredited as the one who
translated Dante’s Inferno into English AND most people believe the majority of
that work happened with The Saturday Club!!!!
Isn’t that incredible!?!? Anyone, anyone? Bueller?)
And if you are wondering about why this post starts with #4 click here.
