I recently came across an old article I’d printed off from the early days of COVID. One of the recommendations for finding solitude in the midst of stressful times was to turn off the news and focus on reading a classic book instead. As luck would have it, Dominic just finished reading Animal Farm by George Orwell. I asked what he’d thought of it and asked if I could borrow it. Next thing I knew I was off to the farm!

Over the past couple of nights I plowed (LOL – gotta love the puns!) right through. Last night I stayed awake later than usual to finish it. Long story short, I was totally impressed and now understand why it’s become the classic that it is. Given all that’s going on in the US I couldn’t help but chuckle at more than a small handful of similarities between the book and reality. I’ll leave it up to you, the reader of this blog, to find those way too close to home moments. 😉

The overarching concepts have been running through my head since I started reading it. Throw in all of the memories it brought back from Orwell’s other classic, 1984, and my mind has been deep in thought. While it’s got me thinking, I’m grateful for the change of mindset it has been instead of reading the news.

What I’m even more thankful for is the opportunity to have some excellent dialogue with Dominic about this book. We’ve discussed more than a few parts and both saw some of the same interesting behavioral patterns and themes throughout. Having something else for us to talk about to share our own inner values and then re-shape and calibrate after thoughtful conversation has been pretty awesome.

If you haven’t read Animal Farm or haven’t read it recently I’d highly recommend it. Funny how history has a way of repeating itself, and even more interesting that we all never quite seem to learn from it.

Time to dig up 1984 and maybe chase it up with some Vonnegut or another tasty classical treat!

Thanks!!!