Life continues up here in Woods Hole, cold in a way that makes you warm inside. As far as the hour-long radio piece goes, I’ve managed to edit it down to two hours, so after another five weeks of tweaking and heartbreaking cuts, the piece will be ready. Very excited.
That’s pretty much been front and center of my existence lately. I’ve been having some peripheral thoughts, too, but perhaps I’ll share some of those later. For now, here’s some other stuff to peruse.
One: My high school had me back in November to give a talk. Click here to watch some of it. Story time.
Two: The radio show This American Life recently featured a great piece about one man’s walk across America, or what he thought would be a walk across America. Click here to listen. It’s a beautiful story, and I love the message, the idea that often we find what we’re looking for in ways we’d never expect. Maybe you don’t have to walk across America to walk across America, you know? Maybe all you have to do is walk three days to have all your questions answered. Extend the metaphor however you’d like.
Three: On the Walking to Listen experience, I walked about 4,000 miles in eleven months. It was a long way and a long time. Well, if it’s true that the longer we invest ourselves in something the deeper we get into it and the more we glean from it, then journalist Paul Salopek is in for quite a ride. Or walk. He’s just begun a walk that will take him around the world, 21,000 miles and 7 years. If you enjoyed following my walk across America, maybe you’ll enjoy following Paul’s walk around the world here.
That’s it for now. Love y’all!
Thanks for sharing, Paul’s site is actually wrong I think, the world and humans on earth is much older than the History books want to make us believe.
Hope his bones will remember and I wish him amazing experiences. 21.000 miles, daunting, the 7 years though give him the several steps of mystical development and that should be interesting for his personal development and awesome for us if he shares his ups and downs. I’m looking forward listening to your piece. When will you be back, I and my family move back to Mpls. in June xxxx Cornelia
Heartbreaking cuts . . . somebody once said (Henry James often gets this attributed to him) that every writer needs to be willing to “kill his little darlings.” Ouch. Economy of style serves the larger project. If you don’t own several copies of Strunk and White’s Elements of Style, a trip to a bookstore is in order. Can’t wait to hear your radio show. PEACE, Matt
Loved listening to you tell your story. <3
Andrew..watched your high school talks. What a a great speaker you are. Very natural, very inviting, clear, grounded and funny. Absolute pleasure to watch. I was smiling from ear to ear and as I was watching it I was thinking that you shouldn’t be worried if you can’t get all your stories told because it isn’t so much the stories themselves, but what you do with those stories in your own growth and learning,right? Because ultimately all those you connect with will benefit from that most of all.
The Darryl and Paul adventures are cool as was the amazing original Peace Pilgrim..but all are as unique as the journey you took and are taking. You have so much time to tell it all and, by the way, you tell it so very well.
love,
Archie
You, Sir, are a gem. Your humility, determination, and peerless wordsmithery are an example to us all…