The Power of Books

This was an outstanding book for several reasons the first of which was by reading it I felt as though the author and I would have been friends if given the chance. That chance will never come because tragically the author was killed by a grizzly bear while hiking near Yellowstone National Park. There’s a sad irony to that circumstance that I’ll talk more about. 

In 2015 when the author was 40 she quit her job as a high school English teacher, put things in storage and drove to Delaware to begin a walk across the country on the American Discovery Trail. The book was written as both her daily thoughts and travel journal from the road mixed in with a series of essays about her thoughts and experiences from teaching in the American public schools. 

Probably the funniest essay she wrote was about the challenges of being a teacher and dealing with daily bodily functions 😂

“To be blunt, I also write from a place of professional honesty when I say that school takes its toll because classroom teachers can almost never go to the bathroom. We can’t pee, poop, or fart. Those who are not teachers and who have never experienced the average school schedule and climate may find this ode on the porcelain urn ridiculous. What? What’s the big deal about peeing, pooping, or farting? Just go to the bathroom. 

It’s not that simple. As teachers know, eliminating becomes a complex tactical operation. Every. Single. School day.” She went on for several pages sharing anecdotes that while funny as hell were poignant because they were so relatable if you’ve ever been a teacher. 

In another essay she presented her rationale for not spending the time and money necessary to get a master’s degree. 

“It is one thing to study a moment in American history. It is quite another to see history and let the stories soak up through the soles of my feet into my psyche. My soul longed to visit those map coordinates. What does it profit a man to be information rich but experience poor? Information can be had at a whim by swiping and tapping our devices. Experience takes effort, a measure of discomfort, but the view at the top of the mountain is so much greater.”

Near the end of the book while completing a list of reasons for why she liked to do this… She wrote:

“‘There’s a big difference between empty fatigue and gratifying exhaustion. Invest in meaningful activities that move you.’ I saw this quote a few weeks ago, and I saved it because I think it is so true. I have tried to make a point in life to invest my time and money in things that are joy giving, not joy depleting. Things that leave me gratifyingly tired but quickly and easily recharged. I know this cannot always be achieved. I like things that are new and interesting and challenging, but hard in a gratifying way, not in a way that leaves me an empty shell.

Backpacking leaves me with gratifying exhaustion. Teaching in the public schools leaves me with an empty fatigue.”

I mentioned earlier about the sad irony of her death. On July 17, 2016 she wrote a list titled, STUFF THAT HAS NEVER HAPPENED: #9 was “I have never seen a bear”.  She was killed by a bear July 22, 2023. Less than a week to the day 7 years after she wrote that.