14apatton 1 / 2 Dec 31, 2013 #1Last year I read Walden. One quotation of Thoreau's stayed with me. "Our life is frittered away by detail. Simplify, simplify, simplify!" I loved the thought but I didn't fully understand it until last August when I went on a backpacking trip in the High Sierras to fulfil a graduation requirement. Twenty-six days in the wilderness with nothing but our designated clothes, equipment, journal, and two ball point pens. Every morning we would wake up around six o' clock and hike anywhere from seven to fifteen miles. Hiking for hours every day with a sixty pound backpack on my back was physically, emotionally and mentally challenging. I had moments where I was miserable and my journal acted as a sense of comfort. I will never be able to put into words every single thing I learned out there, but one thing I can talk about is how being in the mountains finally enabled me to understand what Thoreau was talking about. I started realizing how cluttered my life is. After getting back, I realized you don't need an excess of things to survive daily life and to make you happy. All you need is food, shelter, and something to keep you warm at night. Ever since I returned, I've become more aware of my environment and the way I live my life. The beginning of my journal illustrates the old me and the middle shows the struggles I went through to get to the end of my journal...the new me.250 words exactly. Thoughts? Comments? Anything would be appreciated. Thanks!
spark 2 / 3 3 Dec 31, 2013 #2Feel free to completely disregard what I say! I think your topic is a little broad and maybe be more concise with what matters. Maybe elaborate more about your journal and its key role in your progression as a person
