6/21/2020
Grit by Angela Duckworth
Big surprise - I loved this book. Grit is one of those things that I’ve always felt like I have - it’s that Mainer, hard-working thing. Life is hard and you have got to be harder. My situation has often felt difficult in comparison to my peers, so my own “grit” was one of those things I could hold on to.
And then I met my husband. Discipline is probably his strongest personality characteristic, and I love it. Duckworth’s points on deliberate practice especially resonated - I remember when he was running years ago and how he rarely listened to music. When he was running, he was running. Deliberate practice. Meditation and focus. Being with him is my own social multiplier effect - like being in Boulder just makes you fitter. Being with him makes me stronger, makes me want more from myself, makes me think more is possible. Thinking about this and reading the science behind it makes me even more eager to get our kids out of NYC.
Circe by Madeline Miller
I held off on this for ages - it’s at the front of every book store on the UWS - but it was finally easily available at NYPL and I was in the right mood. I loved mythology as a kid, and my eldest daughter is really into world-building right now, so renewing these stories now is perfect timing.