A retelling of how I ended up living on a self-sustained farm in the middle of the wintertime Maine wilderness.
“Sucking out all the marrow of life”
Henry David Thoreau was an essayist, philosopher, and leading mind during the American transcendentalist movement in the 1820s. He rose to prominence and still lives in our psyche as the author of Walden (Life in the Woods).
I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practice resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms, and, if it proved to be mean, why then to get the whole and genuine meanness of it, and publish its meanness to the world; or if it were sublime, to know it by experience, and be able to give a true account of it in my next excursion.
An excerpt from Walden
So I find myself in the woods (ironically enough, reading Walden Two by B.F. Skinner), recording my thoughts, and creating a video journal of sorts. I once was reading Thoreau, and now I’m doing Thoreau shit (and/or something along the lines of what I would imagine Plato, Emerson, Dickinson, Gibran would do…the list goes on and on).
So how did I end up here?
I love this question: when did it all begin? I wish I could provide an exact answer. I guess there is none, but about two years ago (October 2021) I decided to pursue camera work. Capturing and retelling the stories of cool people doing cool things gave me a lot of joy and I began putting myself “out there.” However, after finding fun opportunities to travel to Colombia and Canada, I realized that it would probably be best for me to be my own subject.
So I needed to find some cool things to do. And that began with El Camino de Santiago – walking along a backpacking trail 600 miles across Spain. And shortly after being a part of some pretty cool projects in the spring of 2023, I didn’t know what to do next.
Long story short – I sold my car, bought an e-bike, and went on a 1000-mile bike ride around rural New England. You can listen to the full retelling here, but I eventually landed in the backwoods of Maine and befriended a former professor who taught for 30 years in the field I was getting my Master’s in (Applied Behavior Analysis).
I went back home…
And actually made plans to live in Las Vegas, NV for the winter. But man makes plans and God laughs. I loved the Sin City, but looking back on it, it wasn’t the right fit. So after a 5-week stint in the desert, I found my way back home in December and happily spent the holiday season with my family.
With the New Year around the corner and some free time available in January, I wanted to find my way into a new adventure. And, ironically, after spending 2023 backpacking, RV’ing, and cross-country biking – what’s more intriguing than going nowhere? Staying on a farm. In the middle of the woods. In the dead of winter.
I made a funny observation during the episode. I had the question “How can things grow on a farm in the winter?” And I answered my own question:
I am the one growing.
And now, here in the cottage, I find myself maybe, just maybe, sipping the same Kool-Aid as Thoreau. Living in the woods. Living with intention. Simplify, simplify, simplify. And there is no mistake that now I find myself in deep, clear thought.
And now I am in front of you. Practicing the depth and clarity of my words (and the best camera/microphone placement, as well). I hope you enjoyed this episode, and if you find yourself reading more Thoreau, don’t be afraid to do more Thoreau shit.