Henry David Thoreau
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Speak up, make a difference
“Let your life be a counter-friction to stop the machine. What I have to do is to see, at any rate, that I do not lend myself to the wrong which I condemn.” ~Henry David Thoreau, Civil Disobedience and Other Essays American author Henry David Thoreau wasn’t afraid to speak out. Staying silent in the face of injustice was an act of compliance, he believed. Thoreau campaigned against slavery and also served as a conductor on the Underground Railroad, a venture that put him at personal risk. A born naturalist, he paved the way for American environmentalists to protect our natural resources. Thoreau’s courage has motivated me since my college years.…
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Revisiting Walden
Sheltering in place at my own private Walden
Celebrating October
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Celebrating October
“October is the month of painted leaves.Their rich glow now flashes round the world.As fruits and leaves and the day itselfacquire a bright tint just before they fall,so the year near its setting.October is its sunset sky;November the later twilight.” ~Henry David Thoreau, Autumnal Tints You don’t have to look hard to find poems, essays, or quotations that celebrate the beauty of October. I copied today’s quote in my journal after reading Thoreau’s Autumnal Tints during my first fall semester in college in 1972. Today, it’s still my favorite quote for the month. October is the soul of autumn, inspiring moments of reflection as well as fall color tours and…
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Revisiting Walden
“If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.” ~Henry David Thoreau, Walden Henry David Thoreau’s Walden tops my list of life-changing literature. It didn’t grab me the first time around. But after reading it a second time, I understood everything Thoreau was trying to tell me. I wanted to learn more about this eccentric man who revered nature, wrote for social justice, and treasured solitude. His writings challenged to keep moving “in the direction of my dreams,” even when it wasn’t easy. After visiting Walden Pond in Concord,…
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Loving October
At the historic Royal Oak Township Cemetery / Cindy La Ferle “October is the month for painted leaves….As fruits and leaves and the day itself acquire a bright tint just before they fall, so the year near its setting. October is its sunset sky; November the later twilight.” ~ Henry David Thoreau, “Autumnal Tints” October tops my list of things that make me happy. Every year, I’m energized by the month’s crisp, cool weather — which always calls for beautiful boots and cozy sweaters. I love heirloom pumpkins, fires in the evening, harvest festivals, spicy pumpkin pies, and the changing colors of the landscape. I love how October rekindles our nurturing…
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Make it a good day
“It is something to be able to paint a particular picture, or to carve a statue, and so to make a few objects beautiful; but it is far more glorious to carve and paint the very atmosphere and medium through which we look, which morally we can do. To affect the quality of the day, that is the highest of arts.” ~Henry David Thoreau, Walden Cindy La Ferle Special thanks to all who’ve emailed to tell me you’ve enjoyed or related to my “quarantine journal” entries, which document my personal experience and reflections since the start of the pandemic lockdown. New readers asked where to find earlier quarantine posts on my…
