I'm a big fan of history. Lots of exciting things have happened in our past to get us to where we are right now, and I love reading all about every moment. But dry dates, names, and places aren't for me. No, my love of history is based on my love of people. When I was growing up, I could often be found curled up on my bed or in a corner, reading about the lives of people who were there. I like to read what they wrote about, how they felt about what was happening to them. For instance, did the aristocracy in France truly understand the American Revolution and what it would mean to their own survival years later? They might have changed their mind about helping us out. Then where would we have been?
I especially love reading biographies.
Over the years, I've spent hours with King Henry VIII and his family, before and after that monarch went about lopping off the heads of his wives. I especially enjoy reading about the women. Given the past prevailing wisdom that women were somehow less than men, the idea that these women were able to carve out a place for themselves, where they could be who they wanted to be. Eleanor of Aquitaine, although imprisoned by her husband, was so powerful that she still managed to affect the politics of several countries over the years. Elizabeth I of England managed to keep everyone guessing at a time when a monarch couldn't even go to the bathroom without a retinue of thirty people watching. That took skill.
I don't just read about Merry Olde England. I'm also enamored of the people of the United States, the trailblazers. The Old West fascinates me, as do stories of the Presidents and their wives. But really, any person who survived the odds, like Helen Keller, is fascinating. Men of ingenuity, inventors, criminals, comedians, friends, enemies...it doesn't matter. I read them all. I wasn't born during their time, but biographies allow me the opportunity to figuratively sit down next to these people, just like an old friend.
I used to worry that biography was a dying art, but I needn't have worried. I'm not the only one who is interested in the lives of other people, it turns out. The medium has changed a bit, however. These days anyone can have a reality show, or a podcast, or a even a blog, and be famous. Lots of material out there, floating along in the river of time.
Lots of stories to be written.
Showing posts with label history. Show all posts
Showing posts with label history. Show all posts
Friday, November 6, 2015
Monday, September 19, 2011
Seeing the World
I love to travel. I like to go to new places, see the sights and wander about, mostly because I love history. I love meandering through museums, looking at pieces of the past, and I love going on guided tours, where there is someone who can point out pieces of history that I may have missed.
When I was a kid and my father was stationed in Germany, the whole family would pile in the car and drive to different countries. We didn't have very much money, so we would pack camping gear. We would find a campsite, set up our tent, and go exploring. Even at a young age, I could feel the ancient past calling to me, begging to be discovered. I was, and still am, a history geek. I can remember playing near our campsite in Florence, Italy, and trying to dig up a rock that looked like it might be a statue. When we were in Greece, I got to see Lord Byron's name(if you don't know who that guy is, google him. He was what they called a 'character'.) carved into a column in a temple that overlooked the sea, and I was transported. I even tried to read some of his poetry, which was a pretty big deal for a ten year old.
I want Zane to have the opportunity to discover the world around him. I have seen what becomes of people who never travel anywhere outside a ten mile radius from their home, and poor language skills is only the beginning. I do not want my child's intellectual and cultural growth stunted, so we have begun to take little family trips. It took a bit to convince my husband, who likes his comfortable chair, but he's been great about finding the best hotel rooms. We tell Zane that we are going on an 'adventure', which he seems to like.
What better place to start exploring than our own state? Texas has an extremely rich and varied history, beyond the Alamo. There's a tree in Landa Park in New Braunfels, for instance, that is reported to be over a thousand years old. Fredricksburg has a wildflower farm. The oldest Polish settlement in the United States is in Panna Maria. The field where the Battle of Medina was fought isn't far from here. The 'birthplace' of Billy the Kid is right up Highway 281, as is the former home of Lyndon Baines Johnson, who is famous for picking up a basset hound by the ears and having really cool initials.
Plus, there's an actual Dinosaur State Park!! A park for actual dinosaurs!
That was only half true--there IS a Dinosaur State Park, but it's called that because you can see the footprints of the dinosaurs who passed through the area. My point is that there are a lot of things for us to see as a family right around here. When Zane gets old enough, we can start venturing out of state, and maybe out of the country. Who knows what sorts of adventures we can find?
When I was a kid and my father was stationed in Germany, the whole family would pile in the car and drive to different countries. We didn't have very much money, so we would pack camping gear. We would find a campsite, set up our tent, and go exploring. Even at a young age, I could feel the ancient past calling to me, begging to be discovered. I was, and still am, a history geek. I can remember playing near our campsite in Florence, Italy, and trying to dig up a rock that looked like it might be a statue. When we were in Greece, I got to see Lord Byron's name(if you don't know who that guy is, google him. He was what they called a 'character'.) carved into a column in a temple that overlooked the sea, and I was transported. I even tried to read some of his poetry, which was a pretty big deal for a ten year old.
I want Zane to have the opportunity to discover the world around him. I have seen what becomes of people who never travel anywhere outside a ten mile radius from their home, and poor language skills is only the beginning. I do not want my child's intellectual and cultural growth stunted, so we have begun to take little family trips. It took a bit to convince my husband, who likes his comfortable chair, but he's been great about finding the best hotel rooms. We tell Zane that we are going on an 'adventure', which he seems to like.
What better place to start exploring than our own state? Texas has an extremely rich and varied history, beyond the Alamo. There's a tree in Landa Park in New Braunfels, for instance, that is reported to be over a thousand years old. Fredricksburg has a wildflower farm. The oldest Polish settlement in the United States is in Panna Maria. The field where the Battle of Medina was fought isn't far from here. The 'birthplace' of Billy the Kid is right up Highway 281, as is the former home of Lyndon Baines Johnson, who is famous for picking up a basset hound by the ears and having really cool initials.
Plus, there's an actual Dinosaur State Park!! A park for actual dinosaurs!
That was only half true--there IS a Dinosaur State Park, but it's called that because you can see the footprints of the dinosaurs who passed through the area. My point is that there are a lot of things for us to see as a family right around here. When Zane gets old enough, we can start venturing out of state, and maybe out of the country. Who knows what sorts of adventures we can find?
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