Yesterday [July 28], I woke up at 6:30 a.m. to bike about 26 miles from Bethesda, Md. to Mount Vernon, Va. to see George Washington’s estate. For being someone who does not like the outdoors, I actually found the 26-mile trek beautiful, surreal and peaceful. We biked through Georgetown, over the bridge to Arlington, around the national monuments and through Old Town Alexandria until we reached our destination. It was all quite exhilarating and rewarding. It tested my boundaries, and I found out that, when put to the test, my body and mind are far more strong than I thought.
Once we arrived to Mount Vernon, I was very excited to not only see how people lived during our country’s founding years, but also see the house of our first president— the founder of this nation’s liberty.
The house itself was not as grand or appealing as I thought it would be. I think that is because I have a modern day conception of what “grand” and “appealing” is, but I must remember this is the 1700s we are talking about.
One thing I really did like about his home was the view. It was breathtaking. I can only imagine how beautiful it was back then, when so much of nature was still untouched.
As my family and I continued to walk around Mount Vernon, I kept thinking about how George Washington walked the grounds I was on over 200 years ago. What a weird concept. To think how many people over the years have walked that ground, and how many more will walk it in the future.
Former president George Washington is long gone, but still after almost 213 years, his legacy lives on. He is the first president of the United States, great fighter and the creator of the first democracy. He also set the precedent for peaceful secession from presidency [or the thrown if you will]— a concept unheard of in that time.
He was no saint, that is for sure [he had hundreds of slaves on his premise]. But, still, he did great things. He was a visionary for his time.
As I walked around Mount Vernon, this is what I thought about— the legacy we create, whether it be the legacy of our generation, family or individual accomplishments.
