It’s OK to be Obsessed With Something
My husband is the world’s foremost expert on Ernest Shackleton.
That is not quite true—but he is at least our home’s foremost expert on Ernest Shackleton, and probably also the homes of many of our friends.
If you don’t know who Ernest Shackleton is, allow me to introduce you: he was an early twentieth-century explorer, born in Ireland, who led three expeditions to the South Pole. One of these expeditions went terribly wrong, causing his ship to be crushed by icepack and the crew to abandon ship. The men lived on the ice, navigated some of the most dangerous waters in the world in tiny lifeboats, and most importantly, stayed alive for months. After a daring rescue attempt was successful, every man was brought home alive (including a stowaway).
If you mention the story of The Endurance (Shackleton’s ship—discovered intact on the sea floor in 2022), my husband lights up. The heroic patience, leadership, and, yes, endurance of the captain is deeply inspiring to him. It is such a delight for him that we have visited the small lifeboat on display in a college in South London. We have all the books; he has a t-shirt; as of this last Christmas, thanks to his sons, we have a Lego model of the ship.
We tease him about this obsession; it is the same fertile ground for good-natured teasing as my obsession with the 2004 Boston Red Sox or the importance of reading The Chronicles of Narnia in publication order.
Parents of young children can often scold themselves for getting distracted over things like these: little side trips into things that interest them for one reason or another. But I want to encourage you: it’s good for you to be curious. It’s good for you to be interested. Maybe it’s good for you to be a little bit obsessed with something or other.
When our kids see interest and curiosity in us, they understand that the curiosity they have naturally is something that is still valuable for grown-ups. History, the natural world, the stories of our neighbors: these are all fertile grounds for getting interested and learning more about the personality of God. He delights in his own creation; why shouldn’t we? When we take delight in stories, in nature, in people, we echo God’s delight, and we model for our children what it looks like to delight in God and his works.
When she’s not behind her laptop, Kelly enjoys live music, baseball, reading great books, and traveling with her husband, David. Kelly hails from beautiful snowy New England, but after nearly two decades in North Carolina, she feels right at home.
She invites you to subscribe to her newsletter, On the Common, or to follow her on Twitter or Instagram.
- Story Warren Weekend, Vol. 14, Issue 6 - February 14, 2026
- Why We Talk About Imagination - February 8, 2026
- Story Warren Weekend, Vol. 14, Issue 5 - February 7, 2026
I have the same problem with Arctic exploration, particularly in the 1800s. I went down a rabbit hole and read almost every book I could find about it, with one of my favorites being In the Kingdom of Ice by Hampton Sides. Remarkable stories of survival and fortitude. My friends now tease me about this obsession, but do so in love. My husband tried to find a model of the USS Jeanette to get me for our anniversary but it’s been impossible to find (I think the Endurance is a more popular and recognizable ship).