Monday Links for May 11, 2015

Some of the stories from the past week (again, that I read in the past week, not necessarily published in the last week) that I found interesting...

Two Sisters, Two Views of Gay Marriage - Gay marriage is one of the more contentious issues in our society today, and it divides many people, including families.  This piece is written by two sisters who have different views on the issue, and how they don't let it impact their relationship, and how their relationship has evolved.  Thoughtful read, and worthy if for nothing else to remind us that we can still be kind and loving to those we disagree with on certain ideas.

Stop Hacking Your Life - A longer read, but discussing the seeming ubiquity of life hacks in recent times.  The article provides a great deal of information, but my main takeaway and reflection upon reading it - sometimes, achieving the "most efficient" or "best" or whatever other adjective isn't the point of an experience or process; sometimes, the journey, its ups and downs and challenges, is the point, and shouldn't be shortcutted.

20 Books That Made You Fall in Love with Reading - Fun to think about, but as I thought about it more, I realized that I didn't have a book I read during childhood (which is what this list seems geared towards) that I could point to that began my passion with reading.  While I read when I was a kid, more of my memorable or defining memories seem to involve sports, either watching or playing.  Then, with all of the reading involved in schooling, particularly in college and law school, reading became more of a task and less of a passion.  It hasn't really been until the last 8 years or so that reading has been a passion for me, when I was choosing to read for fun and enjoyment, and not for studying and classes.  As such, many of the first books I read during my first years post law school were "easy" action-thriller reads - David Baldacci, Tom Clancy, John Grisham, etc.  That said, I distinctly remember three books I read, all different that reignited the passion for me: America's Constitution (remembering how much fun it was to learn history); The Last Town on Earth (a wonderfully complex historical fiction novel raising moral questions about a town's actions when facing the flu epidemic in the early 20th century; and River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze (a first hand account of a westerner living a couple years in China, an excellent culture/travel read).  Each of these books led me to read others like it, and ever since, reading has been one, if not the primary, of my passions.

The Unexpected Pleasure of Doing Things Alone - As the title suggests, the story relates the we tend to underestimate the happiness we will experience from doing certain things by ourselves - eating out, going to the movies, taking in a play or a museum.  I thought it a good reminder to not let our perceptions of what others may/may not think overly affect our decision making and limit the nature and variety of our experiences.  And sometimes, an activity with no one else, has rewards, as there is no need to compromise or work around someone else's needs or wants; the freedom to be one's unrestrained self.