A few lessons learned from staying at home

We didn't take an extended vacation this summer. Considering circumstances beyond our control - it's the economy, stupid - we opted pretty much to stay put.

Road trips to explore a few unfamiliar destinations in Illinois and a family reunion in Indiana whet my personal appetite for adventure. And several books took me back in time and around the world while they opened my mind.

I started "Atlas Shrugged" again by Ayn Rand and finished "The Forgotten Man" by Amity Shlaes, "Why We Suck" by Denis Leary and "The Beautiful Tree" by James Tooley.

I highly recommend "The Beautiful Tree" to everyone who loves education. The inspirational journey about how market-based solutions provide quality private schools for underprivileged children in emerging economies in places such as Africa, China and India was an eye-opener.

At any rate, Naperville is forever changing, with new public and private schools moving forward, attributed to planning long before these challenging times really, really hit last September.

Mindful of it all, I found if you can't find a way to escape within Naperville's borders, you likely haven't tried.

From the Riverwalk to Pioneer Park to Seager Park to Knock Knolls, nature will surround you for peaceful reflection to pay attention to things that may boggle your mind.

For instance, unlike some in the public sector who look toward raising taxes, entrepreneurs and freelance writers had to re-access economies of scale. In fact, many folks have seen their pay and hours cut or have lost their job entirely. And who can forecast much beyond tomorrow?

Forgive my whining about the big complex economy as my thoughts turn to hope for good reason.

In June, our middle child passed his Level II sommelier exam. To help me prepare for the Barboursville Vineyards Winemaker Dinner at SugarToad, the restaurant where Tim serves under Executive Chef Jimmy Sneed, he recommended a book titled "Passions, The Wines and Travels of Thomas Jefferson" by James M. Gabler.

Barboursville Vineyards are located in Virginia near Jefferson's Monticello and other architectural masterpieces designed by the writer of the Declaration of Independence and our third president. "Passions" was the perfect read.

I was fascinated that Jefferson regularly walked at a fast pace, in excess of four miles an hour. (That's slightly less than the time it takes me to walk the length of the Riverwalk's winding paths and I couldn't help but wonder if the architect's of Naperville's natural treasure designed it with that in mind.)

"If the body be feeble," wrote Jefferson to his son-in-law, "the mind will not be strong. The sovereign invigorator of the body is exercise, and of all the exercises, walking is best ... No one knows, till he tries, how easily a habit of walking is acquired."

Jefferson advocated that "no less than two hours a day should be devoted to exercise," and he routinely walked for two hours at lunchtime every day, no matter what the weather.

Another thing that impressed me about Jefferson is that the lavish entertainer wined and dined groups every day at 4 p.m., sparing no expense for pleasure on his own dime.

According to Gabler, "Household and entertainment funds did not come out of the public coffers as they do today, but from Jefferson's pocket."

We may not be living in the late 1700s, but as we face today's ills, here's hoping we still can learn from this brilliant man who deplored the creation of unnecessary government offices and tariffs as he advocated wine as "the beverage of temperance and health."

Gabler quoted JFK's description of a dinner for Nobel Prize winners. "This is the most extraordinary collection of talent, of human knowledge, that has ever gathered together in the White House - with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone."

Here's to rational, responsible and reasonable public policy in the spirit of Jefferson.

Further, I discovered that by staying put, I met many interesting folks who visited Naperville.

In addition to winemaker Luca Panchina from Barboursville Vineyards, I met Dennis Cakebread from Napa Valley.

And Sunday, at the Holiday Inn Select, I encountered Louise Suggs and Shirley Spork, in town to attend the Solheim Cup in Sugar Grove. The two women were among the 13 who founded the LPGA in 1950.