Author Archives: Mimic Nature
Sabbath Saturday Post
Thoreau once remarked that he finally understood what the Eastern sages meant by “the forsaking of works.” He wasn’t talking about laziness. He was talking about stepping away from constant striving long enough to experience life itself. In a world … Continue reading
The Pace of Progress and the Rhythm of Nature
At first glance, this chapter appears to be about trains, noise, and industry. By the end, I realized Thoreau was asking a much deeper question: what kind of people do we become when the pace of progress begins to shape our … Continue reading
A Warning Hidden in a Letter
Today I enjoyed celebrating Labor Day with my parents, husband, and kids. When I got home, I couldn’t wait to read another chapter in Crime and Punishment, so I sat on my porch and began reading. I began noticing pretty quickly … Continue reading
Sabbath Saturday – A Day of Rest
Walden chapter 3
As I continue my reading through Walden, I struggle with words and phrases Thoreau uses to describe what he is saying. My first thought is that this is just a difference in era, but he points to it being something … Continue reading
Wednesday Slow Thought
Thoreau believed that wisdom could not come from a distracted mind. Distracted minds are fractured, focusing on too many things at once. Wisdom is something that emerges when we quiet our own inner world long enough to hear the still … Continue reading
The Symbol and the Substance
As I sit at my table doing my morning reading, I’m puzzled by a contradiction. The words warn against worshiping graven images, yet there are instructions to create golden ones. I understand human frailty — our tendency to do what … Continue reading
Pyrography
I wanted to share a new interest I’ve been exploring. Over the last few weeks, I’ve been focusing on living more intentionally, and part of that has been finding activities that challenge me to slow down and be present in … Continue reading
“Man grows used to everything”
As I was reading the other day, a line from Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment stood out to me. Raskolnikov had wandered into a tavern and found himself listening to Marmeladov — a broken, alcoholic man recounting the wreckage of his … Continue reading
