'As an author, I appreciate democracy and the protection of our First Amendment rights.'

In an effort to acquire wisdom from the Founding Fathers' era, I devoted a year to emulating their lifestyle.

It was an experience that made me grateful for many things.

Our rights, such as the First Amendment, made me grateful for democracy.

And it also made me grateful for … elastic socks.

Let me explain.

I stuck to my commitment throughout the year, just like my kids say.

I devoured 18th century books about politics.

I talked about the Constitution with friends over tankards of ale.

I wore my tricorne hat and dressed the part, but my kids wouldn't walk within 50 feet of me.

"Noticing the small things, and being grateful for them, has made my life much better."

I wore sock belts because those stockings had no elastic and would slide down my calves, forming a puddle around my ankles.

Every morning, I had to strap tiny belts around the top of my socks instead of using garters.

I spent countless hours putting on sock belts throughout the year, and I will never be able to recover that time.

The point is that it's a small thing.

We take so many small things for granted. Like elastic socks.

Appreciating the little details has greatly improved my life.

The Founders' era teaches us a lot about virtue, sacrifice, and the fear of tyranny.

"Despite all the problems we face today — and there are many — I’m thankful we have made progress as a society in so many areas."

In hundreds of ways, the good old days were not good.

They were smelly and dangerous and cruel.

This book made me thankful for modern times, where water is typically safe to drink and cuts are less likely to be fatal. Additionally, contemporary medicine has advanced significantly beyond the "tobacco enema" of the 18th century.

Consider long-distance communication in the days of yore.

Although email and text messaging have significant drawbacks, I am unwilling to revert to the antiquated method of communication used in the 18th century.

You had to ride your horse over unpaved roads to pick up your letters at the post office.

You might not even know you had a letter waiting for you until you read an alert in the local newspaper. It was stunningly inefficient.

Reading the correspondence between Thomas Jefferson and John Adams is both intriguing and thought-provoking.

The majority of the communication revolves around questions such as, "Did you receive the letter I sent on May 8? Have you responded, and if so, have I received your reply yet? Please respond to my inquiry regarding your response so that I can respond accordingly."

Although we encounter numerous difficulties nowadays, I am grateful for the advancements we have achieved as a society in various aspects.

John Quincy Adams stated, "Gratitude is so powerful that it fills the soul and leaves little space for other emotions or thoughts."

I try to fill my soul every day.

A.J. Jacobs' book "The Year of Living Constitutionally" (2024), which explores the original meaning of the Constitution, is published by Crown.