A Visit to the House of Hemingway

A post reflecting on my visit to the Ernest Hemingway Birthplace and Museum in Chicago, with a comprehensive photo gallery at the end of the article.

He gave us American Classic's such as "For Whom the Bell Tolls" and "The Old Man and the Sea" and in line with many great American artists of the past, a legacy for future generations to investigate and dissect, to fully understand the DNA of our country and our history. For Earnest Hemingway, in his quest to deliver "one true sentence," he delivered many, some of my favorites that I share with my teams from time-to-time are:

"Courage is grace under pressure."

"Never confuse movement with action."

"The best way to find out if you can trust someone is to trust them."

"Man is not made for defeat. A man can be destroyed but not defeated."

I can't help but think of one of my own one-liners which still brings on a smile to myself and the friend I said it to, "the sun rises and the sun sets." A subconscious play on the title of Hemingway's "The Sun Also Rises," I uttered this observation, before consciously knowing-of or reading the novel. I recall both the exasperation and exclamation with which these words flowed, during a cold winter break from college in Connecticut as the snow flurries painted the forest white, while gazing at the winking stars in the nebulous-free night. We had exhausted explanations of logic in our investigation to understand. What it was, I don't recall. The finality of that one true sentence, ushered in a calm and inspiring truth. We both laugh at the remark today, in part reflecting on the absurdity with which our minds wander and in directions we never sought to explore. In that moment, it seemed to me, that the only truth in existence, was the fact that the sun would rise in the morning. What came with the light of day, is the inescapable and ever-enduring adventure of the unknown, summed up quite simply as: life!

I had the chance to visit Ernest Hemingway's Birthplace and Museum, on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, in the Summer of 2021, Post-COVID Chicago. On the tour was myself and one other, a recent graduate of George Washington University, I think both of us looking for nothing and something at the same time. With little affliction for or against Hemingway, I thought this experience would provide deeper meaning to his quotes, writings, and thoughts that I have perused on occasion. It did that and more. From the rose-themed furnishings and intentional designs that connected room-to-room, to the tales of adventure and misfortune, one couldn't help but feel the parallels between the late 19th Century and today. Each story of the home and Hemingway’s upbringing exposed a perpetual flow not too dissimilar to the maturation process of young people today. As with any family, the Hemingway's experienced both fortuitous and tumultuous times, each subtly exposing layer after layer of the makeup of Hemingway's mind.

Coach Valvano (Jimmy V Foundation) implored us to do three things every day to live a full life: laugh, think, and cry. Without spoiling the experience by going into detail on the stories you will hear on this tour, I can say with certainty that you will cover two of those three on your visit. As with anything, if you go in with an open mind and an open heart, you've got a great shot at going 3-for-3. If you've got the time, visit and do the tour, it's worth it!

Hemingway's words also resonate with coaches, such as this maxim:

"Now is not the time to think of what you don't have.

Now is the time to think of what you can do with what there is."

In closing, a few for friends and student-athletes:

"Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know."

"There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man;

true nobility is being superior to your former self."

"The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places."

"The best people possess a feeling for beauty, the courage to take risks, the discipline to tell the truth, the capacity for sacrifice. Ironically, their virtues make them vulnerable; they are often wounded, sometimes destroyed."