“Imagination is the real and eternal world of which this vegetable universe is but a faint shadow.”
-William Blake
I hope those of you who celebrate had a great Thanksgiving. I did.
Earlier in the week, I picked up a copy of the diaries of David Sedaris (linked below). If you’re not familiar with his writing, this is a great way to acquaint yourself. I’m 180 pages into this 514-page volume, and I’ve laughed out loud at least a half dozen times so far.
I have several Substack pieces in the works. More soon.
Have a great week. Thanks for reading.
This Week in History
November 26, 1607 - Harvard College founder John Harvard was born in London.
November 26, 2023 - The Indiana University men’s basketball team defeated Harvard, 89-76, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, and I was there.
November 27, 1701 - Anders Celsius, who invented the centigrade temperature scale commonly used in Europe, was born in Sweden.
November 28, 1757 - British artist and poet William Blake was born in London. Best known for Songs of Innocence examining life through the eyes of children and Songs of Experience exploring adult viewpoints of the world. And, on this day in 2021, my mom passed. Click hear to listen to the podcast episode I recorded with her for Mother’s Day, earlier that year.
November 29, 1864 - U.S. Army troops led by Colonel John Chivington attacked and killed at least 400 Cheyenne and Arapahoe Indians at Sand Creek, Colorado after they had already surrendered.
November 30, 1782 - A provisional peace treaty was signed between Great Britain and the United States, heralding the end of America's War of Independence. The final treaty was signed in Paris on September 3, 1783. It declared the U.S. "...to be free, sovereign and independent states..." and that the British Crown "...relinquishes all claims to the government, propriety and territorial rights of the same, and every part thereof."
December 1, 1955 - The birth of the modern American civil rights movement occurred as Rosa Parks was arrested in Montgomery, Alabama, for refusing to give up her seat to a white man and move to the back section of a municipal bus. Her arrest resulted in a year-long boycott of the city bus system by African Americans and led to legal actions ending racial segregation on municipal buses throughout the South.
December 2, 1804 - Napoleon Bonaparte was crowned Emperor of France by Pope Pius VII in Paris.
What I’m Reading
Theft by Finding: Diaries 1977-2002, by David Sedaris
How to Know a Person, by David Brooks
The Crossing, by Cormac McCarthy
The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching, by Thich Nhat Hanh
The Creative Act: A Way of Being, by Rick Rubin
What I’m Listening To
Weathervanes, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit
The Manifest Mixtape
Journaling Prompt for the Week #48 of 2023
Write about your first experince with keeping a diary or journal.