My Walden

Thoreau's First Journal Entry, 22 October 1837

“Everything is true through which we become better.”

From a distance, Thoreau lived a simple life, he made pencils for his father’s factory, he read, he wrote, he enjoyed the outdoors, he helped his friends. He never lived far from his hometown of Concord, Massachusetts, but he didn’t let that stifle his curiosity about other places and experiences. When he became impatient that his writing hadn’t progressed, his friend gave him the advice:

"Go out upon that, build yourself a hut, & there begin the grand process of devouring yourself alive. I see no other alternative, no other hope for you."

In exchange for labor, he built a cabin on his friend’s land and spent over two years there, writing and editing some of his best-known works.

As for me, well, I’m no Thoreau. I’m 4,500 miles away from home and I can feel every one of them. 

I’m looking for ways to feel more at home in Rotterdam. To find my community. To feel like I belong. I’ve moved around enough to know that this sort of thing takes a lot of effort and there are a lot of ways to go about it. While I search for opportunities and wait for other, unexpected, ones to find me, I’ve decided that this will be my Walden. Here is where I will devour myself alive.