Reporter's Note: President Obama, some hundred years ago (or so it seems,) asked for the public’s advice on how to run the country. Ever since I have been writing a letter a day to the White House with my ideas. One of which is, “don’t spend too much time on the mail.”

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Tom Foreman | BIO
AC360° Correspondent

Dear Mr. President,

My daughter was given a Venus Flytrap by a friend for Christmas and we’ve enjoyed tracking down tiny moths and feeding them to it. Perhaps not the most charitable of acts in the “all creatures great and small” sense, especially for this time of year, but certainly entertaining.

I enjoy reconnecting with nature during the holidays. I love a brisk walk or run when the temperature is well below freezing, the crackle of ice underfoot, the clouds of breath boiling out into the air, and the muttered oaths of the less hearty souls I pass.

Of course, it doesn’t always go so well. Last Sunday after church I was walking to the car when, in a heartbeat, I found myself staring at the sky, flat on my back on the pavement. I’d stepped onto an invisible patch of ice and been taken out as surely as if a New York Ranger had caught me loitering in the crease. (That’s hockey talk, btw. Still not so sure how into that sport you are…but if you need help, give a call.)

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