How To

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to

teach…” Henry David Thoreau

I came to the trail for lessons on honesty, to front the essential truths of myself, and see if I could not learn to love myself and embrace my story. Since coming off trail in 2019, I thought the essential truth of who I am was what I did, what we do. After all, when we introduce ourselves we either also say our profession or the question of “what do we do” is not far along into the conversation. Even though it is such a routine, habitual thing to ask and say in conversation, it’s never really been something that interests me all that much or sits well with me as a form of introduction to a stranger. I learn more about you, your values, what lights you up and adds meaning to your life not by what you do, but by how you choose to live.

I came out on trail originally for thoughts on what I might want to do, but have realized that I only really know what I want to do (or not do) by doing it. What I have found is not what I wish to do, but rather, how and who I wish to be. I think if I step into “how” I wish to live and who I wish to be, the “what” I do will inevitably follow and naturally arise.

Since leaving the trail in 2019, I have read perhaps the majority of the “self-help” section at the bookshop. Most are boasting the phrase “how to…” (fill in the blank with some sort of motivational get back on your feet mantra). After reading all those books, and most importantly, walking all these miles, I have found there are no instructions that I can follow that come from others on how to live my life. After all, as Joseph Campbell puts it, “If you can see your path laid out in front of you step by step, you know it's not your path. Your own path you make with every step you take. That's why it's your path.”

So when the question inevitably arises, “What comes next?” (cue Hamilton…) my answer is the building and blazing of my own path. I believe the steps of this path are built not by jobs or things I do, but rather by qualities I hope to possess and ways of being I hope to embody. As such, for this next year of my life, I have decided to dedicate myself to the building of my path through an experiment. As it is my 26th birthday, I am choosing 26 qualities or ways of being I hope to embody that correspond with the 26 letters of the alphabet, and am going to dedicate 2 weeks to each one to see what arises when I choose to live life from the lens of that quality. I hope to learn what these qualities actually mean to me, how I find myself within them and through them, and most importantly, who else embodies these qualities that I look to for guidance. It is through seeing the strengths of others and looking to them for guidance and embodiment that we may find within us the quality that we share. When I pretend to be the beauty that is you, I find within me my own version of that which I admire in you.

Below are the list of qualities I hope to embody this year. These may be subject to change as I reflect on these more. What qualities do you think I need to step in to this year?

1. Active

2. Bold

3. Creative

4. Disciplined

5. Equanimity

6. Friend

7. Grateful

8. Honest

9. Integrity

10. Joyful

11. Kindred

12. Learner

13. Magnanimous

14. Natural

15. Open

16. Playful

17. Quixotic

18. Reliable

19. Spirit

20. Trust

21. Ultra

22. Vitality

23. Wise

24. Xenas

25. Yearnful

26. Zealous

What qualities or ways of being are you proud to possess and embody? What qualities do you admire in others? What qualities would you like to see in yourself?