Words from FDR’s Four Freedoms speech found at Four Freedoms Park in NYC. Photo by Lynn Trimble.
I experienced an unwelcome freedom from technology last week when a computer glitch left me unplugged during travels to New York City, where I was happy to experience a blissful bit of freedom from cooking. I flew to NYC on Thursday, and enjoyed a lovely Thankgiving meal of grilled cheese sandwiches and cheesecake (just like my mom used to make) at a local diner frequented by our youngest daughter, who lives in Brooklyn.
Turns out I was coming down with some sort of nasty bug at the time, and ended up foregoing my usual jaunts between museums, parks and libraries for time spent cozying up to tea bags and tissue boxes. Giving myself the freedom to be sick meant more time with Lizabeth, who might be regretting all those mother/daughter moments now that she’s the one feeling puny. Still, I had to make at least one pilgrimage while I was there.
I chose Roosevelt Island, home of the new Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park designed by architect Louis I. Kahn — which features portrait sculpture by artist Jo Davidson. It’s more conceptual, abstract and simpler in some ways than the FDR memorial in Washington, DC — but still a beautiful, moving monument to strength, courage and compassion. While on the island, I enjoyed walking a path along the East River and poking around for various types of plants and wildlife.
Truth be told, I wasn’t completely free of technology during my travels. I still had a cell phone, e-reader and sometimes fully-functioning camera. I’d been reading William L. Shirer’s “Berlin Diary: The Journal of a Foreign Correspondent, 1934-1941” on my Kindle during afternoons curled up in a cozy chair at Lizabeth’s place — so thoughts of FDR’s role in American life and world affairs was top of mind before I stood before the giant stone etched with words from his famous January 6, 1941 speech.
Freedom from cooking or computers pales in comparison to the freedoms FDR cited in his “Four Freedoms” speech — freedom of speech and expression, freedom of worship, freedom from want and freedom from fear. As post-election punditry and pre-holiday commercialism continue to flourish in coming days, pause to consider what’s really important in your life. What freedoms do you hold dear, and what are you doing to uphold them?
— Lynn
Note: Click here for information on the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum in Hyde Park, NY — and here to learn about the film “Hyde Park on Hudson.”
Coming up: Spinning a self-esteem tale
Stage Mom Musings 