Day twenty-five...Simplicity is being unplugged.

I found reading The Wilderness World of John Muir an uplifting and joyous experience when I discovered it last year. I often return to certain chapters to find courage and creativity renewed through his experiences travelling through the world.

The stories of his childhood about him escaping the harsh life of youth growing up around Edinburgh, Scotland. His adventures exploring Dunbar Castle only whetted his appetite for discovery. When he left Scotland, he came to the United States to walk his way from Indiana to Florida in 1867. The stories of sleeping in cemeteries and the grateful moments when he came upon strangers with soup pots filled helped me focus less on the troubles of life more upon the glorious creations which God has provided for us to find in our lives. Like Muir, I have found a place of peace in the natural world around us. The bible tells of the wondrous world... but the authors of the bible's many chapters had never seen the glories here in America, like Muir saw them. Boy, can you imagine the praises that the psalmists would have written, had that been the case?

Mr. Muir did not start writing his books until later in his life. These writings are to many the beginning of the American ecological movement. He is often referred to as the "Father of the National Parks." Muir relied on his keen memory, his notes and his simple drawings to recall the details of his journeys. You can see some of the drawings and details of his journeys here:
http://www.drawingamerica.org/2012/01/john-muirs-natural-ability.html.

Below is part one of a retelling of the life of John Muir, made by the National Parks Service. Check out part two on youtube, as well.



The challenge today is to visit your own "Scribbler's Den," like the one mentioned in the video. Find a quite place to walk, find a particularly lovely wildflower and take a picture of it. Don't pick it! Leave No Trace... Then take that photo home and in your quiet time, draw it to capture the details. You can see that John Muir wasn't worried that his drawings had to be perfect. They just had to capture the moment and the details of your time outside..."unplugged."

Link of the day...
http://www.johnmuirlive.com/index.html See a living recreation of John Muir's life.

Quote of the day...
"I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in." John Muir

Bible verse of the day...
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." John 14:27