Walden is an interesting book by Henry David Thoreau. It covers the period of just over two years that he spent living in a cabin near Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts. He did this to see what he’d learn by getting down to the basics and living intentionally rather than living automatically, which is even more common now than it was when he wrote the book.
Thoreau mostly built his cabin by hand, although he did salvage some parts from a nearby abandoned cabin to make things easier. He also grew his own food, went on long walks every day, spent time on the pond in his boat, and lived simply. Despite living well away from everyone else, he still entertained visitors and even regularly walked to the village. This allowed him to enjoy plenty of solitude without feeling lonely or detached.
Thoreau’s writing style made parts of the book difficult for me to understand. Sometimes he’d go off on long tangents about mice, ice, plants, and other similar things. I don’t have the greatest ability to visualize something that I haven’t seen at least once, so I’d often struggle to picture what he was describing. Also, he would often switch from literal into more metaphorical or poetic language, which threw me off and made it easy for me to lose track of what was happening. Since the book was first published in 1854, I don’t know whether this writing style was common at the time or if it mostly came from Thoreau himself. Either way, his writing style occasionally made it difficult for me to stay focused and follow along. Still, enough stuff resonated with me to keep me interested in reading further, so I’d try to catch myself whenever my mind started to wander and refocus my attention.
Even before I read Walden, I loved the idea of living simply in a cabin for a few years; getting a glimpse into that lifestyle from Thoreau’s perspective has made me even more interested in trying it for myself. I think a lot of people would benefit by getting out of the rat race and slowing down for a while. I’m inclined to think that many people who are currently living simply in cabins, tiny houses, and camper vans/RVs were inspired by Thoreau’s writings about his experience in Walden. Thanks to the internet, nearly anyone who is living off the grid can document their journey and share it with the world in real time. I enjoy checking out these kinds of stories every so often and I generally enjoyed reading about Thoreau’s experience in Walden. If any of this sounds interesting to you, then I recommend checking out the book for yourself and seeing what it does for you.