Waking Up…
I dropped by Joy’s place for a cup of morning joy, which she delivered with her usual grace and cheer, and found myself leaving a comment, the idea of which did not want to leave my head until it was writ. Ergo, this…
Those who venture this way regularly know that Thoreau holds a certain magnetic allure for me. Reading HDT’s work always rekindles my unrequited urge to abandon so-called civilization and live out my days on my own mystical Walden Pond. I will also admit that my body and physical condition not being what they were just a few years ago bring pause to that line of thinking. The aches and pains might well become crippling without Advil or Tylenol, not to mention the daily regimen of blood pressure medication… Oh, well… A guy can still dream… Maybe in my next life…
To survive in this digitally driven world, I have no choice but to observe the clock and calendar. For some things. My underlying makeup tends much more to the pragmatic side, a trait which I happily inherited from both my mother and father. When I was living a two-day drive from home, and wintertime travel was not always reliable and predictable, Mom would say “Come when you can. Christmas is when we are together, whether that is on December 25th or not.” I loved her for that and tried to never abuse the practical affability she extended to me. And now, many years later, I still cling to her guiding principle. So does she.
That discouse, started with a comment at Joy’s and continued here, reminded me immediately of the last sentence and culminating thought from Thoreau’s quote (below). I am well aware there are alternate interpretations of Thoreau’s words. My interpretation is mine alone. Morning and awakeness and dawning for me are not defined so much by the clock and position of the sun as by my awareness of and connection with the world and people around me and with my inner-self.
To him whose elastic and vigorous thought keeps pace with the sun, the day is a perpetual morning. It matters not what the clocks say or the attitudes and labors of men. Morning is when I am awake and there is a dawn in me.
9 Comments so far
Yes indeed, Winston. Thoreau is (still) strong tonic for the task of determining what, finally, matters.
I’m surprised, given your blog’s recent political turn, that you didn’t include the sentence that immediately follows the ones you quote: “Moral reform is the effort to throw off sleep.”
JohnB: You’re right. But I didn’t have to because I knew you would. And you did not disappoint.
When quoting HDT, it is difficult to find a stopping place… or a starting point, for that matter…
You know those moments of lightness I was referring to? I dare say you must be a frequent recipient. I interpret HDT’s words very much as you do Winston; and yes, a guy can still dream…and should. Thank you sweet guy….SWEET DREAMS. -Joy
Like you, I’ve often read HDT or others and dreamed of a simpler life - if only for a short time. A secret dream of mine has been to walk the Appalachain Trail. At this point in my life, it is a dream not likely to be realized. And maybe that is okay. The call of nature is there and I connect with it by camping, swimming, walking, any way I can. Without the dream I might not take advantage of those opportunities.
A friend of mine, a Tlingit Indian, went to a funeral a few years ago. The day she was supposed to leave, the airport was snowed in and the next day and the next. I asked her if she had missed it and her reply was, “No, it won’t be held until everyone is there.”
Thoreau’s the man!
I have the 1967 translation “Über die Pflicht zum Ungehorsam gegen den Staat” (On the duty to disobedience viv-a-vis the state?) sitting right(!) here in my bookshelf. Quite a bit to the left of “Mein Kampf”, but well to the left of “Das Kapital”
Oops that should read well to the RIGHT of Das Kapital , of course !
Sheesh, typing faster than I can think again. Sorry!
Nice Thoreau quote. I often wish to simplify my life. Retiring took care of a bunch of that!
Oh let there be morning in me … sweet, forever dawn. -mg