The Peace of Wild Things
When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
by Wendell Berry
It is appropriate to start this episode description with a poem from Wendell Berry. I love this poem. I can hear the quiet sounds of the outside just reading it. And I was introduced to this poem and to Wendell Berry by Daniel Alexander. Daniel is my guest this week, and you will find out that he is a bit of a poet himself.
I really enjoyed this conversation because I got to catch up with an old friend, but also hear about what it is about an outdoor space that opens his soul. This is a different kind of adventure conversation, I know you’ll be inspired. We explore many different angles of the human experience and what we are all made for. One great take away I got from Daniel is that Comfort + Comparison = a Crushing of our souls. And the flip side of that same coin is that if we embrace the suffering in our lives, it can lead us to a place where our souls truly come alive. It’s an inverse universe.
Be sure to listen to the end for his book recommendations. Daniel has always been spot on when it comes to a good read, and these are now on my reading list. And if you want to join Daniel for any part of his Mountain to Sea Trail adventure, you can reach him at or on Twitter at @dalexander_1.
