Introduction

"Give me the moon at my feet

Put up my feet upon the crescent, like a lord!

O let my ankles be bathed in moonlight, that I

may go sure and moon-shod, cool and bright-footed

towards my goal."

I have often fantasized about packing up my dogs and simple belongings to a cabin in the woods to "live deliberately." There I would wear worn out flannel shirts, faded overalls and chop wood. I would build big roaring fires to keep me warm, play with my dogs, struggle with the hardship and loneliness that comes from living by oneself, write and contemplate the rhythm of my life. I would have a large garden in which to plant herbs, lettuce, tomatoes; all the while observing the fauna and flora that surround me and revel in my deep connection to the earth. What I have realized is that one need not live a secluded life in the woods to live it deliberately. It is an experience that comes through an everyday awareness of a connection to, and deep abiding respect for Nature. I do live a simple life in a small house with furnishings that I've found in alleyways, thrift stores or discards from friends. I drive a car that is 12 years old and keep repairing because I don't want a monthly car payment. I continuously struggle with the hardships of living alone and the loneliness I feel at times. I do have an herb garden and grow vegetables, wear worn out flannel shirts, play with my dogs, build roaring fires, write and contemplate the rythmn of my life. And more than anything I spend time in the woods with  my dogs, walking, observing the fauna and flora and revel in my deep connection to the earth while living a deliberate life every single day.

I have heard people say that age 40 is a demarcation, a time for deep reckoning and reassessing of one's life. Dante put it so eloquently when he said that we find ourselves in a dark and mirrored wood at the mid-point of our life's journey. I believe that to be true for me. I can't speak for anyone else and what I write about is an intimate point of reference for my life only, although some who read this may understand my words and commiserate. For a long time now I have been contemplating the rhythm of my life, how I move in this space, the world in which I live. I have been contemplating how I relate to the family, friends, animals and strangers within it. Some people may call it a routine or ritual but I prefer to think of it as a rhythm, a hum, an unspoken understanding of myself. It is a rhythm guided by my love of the woods and companionship of dogs. They are my truest companions, more so than human beings. Truest in that they receive my love and return it effortlessly - no strings attached. They are silent and tireless in this regard and I can't imagine how I survived for so long without them. I have walked 365 days of every year for the past eight years, give or take a day or two for illness or injuries. That equals, roughly 3000 days that I have spent walking - twice a day - in the woods with them. I probably would not have come to the woods in this way, probably would not have become such a keen observer of "the perennial source of our lives," if not for these truest of companions -  my dogs.