To celebrate my birthday last night, after I brought all my belongings and stuffed them into my tepee, I read for the first time in 2 months. I read Walden and began with the chapter my money was in, “Visitors”. It had been so long since I had a book that it was delicious simply to read. To peruse Walden was even more scrumptious since Thoreau’s every sentence is flawless.
Walden was my inspiration for my journey to Tortola, so what he writes is imbued with deeper meanings for me. His words are heard as advice and guidance. I had been so focused on his chapter on Solitude that I neglected that Thoreau actually had visitors in his house he built himself. Visitors are in fact the chapter that follows Solitude. I have been somewhat judgmental about my social behavior, thinking that this was a distraction from what I came here for. What a gift to read this chapter and be reminded of how he enjoyed company, as much as he enjoyed solitude.
One of my favorite lines is about the difficultly expressing himself when his little house was crowded. “ You want room for your thoughts to get into sailing trim and run a course or two before they make their port”. Pure poetry.
Thoreau continues to explore the art of communicating, the challenges and when it is most effortless.
I kept reading the book, skipping the chapter on the Bean-Field and jumped to the chapter on The Village. How delightful to hear Thoreau compare gossip (taken in small doses) being as refreshing as the rustling of the leaves in the wind! I have been so critical of my trips to town or the tourists having too much to drink. How could I, when my hero was able to live off the land, live by his beliefs and still enjoy “the news of the day”?
Thoreau and Walden continue to be my guides. How surprising that I had been holding him up as a beacon of morality (which he is), but today he taught me to lighten up!
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