We Took to the Woods

By Louise Dickinson Rich

Originally published in 1942

Here I am, reading one of my favorite books of all time in one of the most comfortable chairs.  When I’ve mentioned to people that We Took to the Woods is on my list of favorites, most are unfamiliar with it.  The author chronicles the years she spent in the remote woods of Maine after marrying her husband in the 1930’s.  

She left behind a conventional life as a high school English teacher to become a homesteader in a tough, yet beautiful area of the country.  Part of the year, after the lake froze over, there was no way out.  Except during logging season, there were very few people for many miles around.  Then, during logging season, the people that were around were quite colorful characters.  

Her practicality shows through in her clear, concise writing style.  The calmness is which she chronicles her sometimes humorous, sometimes dangerous adventures shows the strength of character she needed to raise a family in the Maine woods.  When I read Louise Dickinson Rich’s book, I feel like I’m sitting by her fire and she’s recounting the stories to me personally.  

I’ve wondered why I love this book so much.  I really have no desire to live the life she did.  While I enjoy spending a lot of time in nature, I really, really enjoy my indoor plumbing.  While I don’t like grocery shopping, I do appreciate being able to get to the store more than once or twice a year. 

I think this book is a favorite because I’m inspired by the courage the author had to live her life in a way that was so far from what everyone else expected from her.  I wonder what this world would be like if we all paid less attention to conventions.  To have the courage to follow a dream, regardless of what society will think, is an admirable quality.

Is there anything you would have done differently, if society wasn’t pressuring you to follow the norm?