REVERENCE. RESILIENCE. CHOICE.

In July of this year I had the honor of being selected by The Thoreau Society to present excerpts from my book, Paddlin’ with Thoreau… at their Annual Gathering in Concord, MA. Founded in 1941, The Thoreau Society is the largest and oldest organization devoted to an American author. The Society has members from more than twenty countries around the world, the Penobscot Nation, and all fifty US states. Prior to my presentation, I took my book to Walden Pond and put it in the hands of Henry on his statue near the replica of his cabin. I loved to see him holding my book! The following text is my 7-minute presentation, which I have been wanting to share with you. My presentation was also livestreamed on the Minuteman Media Network and you can listen to it by going to their website, Minuteman Media Network, click on LIVE and then click on A Conversation: Personal Stories of Thoreauvian Resiience. My presentation begins at 38:55.

Good afternoon! My name is Mary Anne Smrz and I’d like to begin by thanking the Thoreau Society for the privilege to present excerpts from my book, Paddlin’ with Thoreau. I am Thoreauly honored to be part of this esteemed group of courageous writers and presenters as we carry on his legacy. I am a kayaker and an author. For my birthday 29 years ago, my friends bought me my first red kayak. From the limited space in my little red boat, my initial liberating revelation was Thoreau’s mantra, “Simplify!” I call it my gift that keeps on giving, because from its tiny cockpit, I wrote three other books sharing how lessons learned on the water helped me to navigate the uncharted waters of life. I also began my own non-profit, the Red Kayak Institute, taking people facing challenges, such as cancer survivors and their caregivers, out on the water for the healing benefits of kayaking. Through it all, Thoreau’s quotes have been a current in my work, so I dedicated a book solely to him. I immersed myself in his books and articles written about him, and traveled his waterways and pathways to deeply understand the essence of this man. The book is a series of essays, chronicling his various journeys, and then pondering his quotes while kayaking to provide context for our lives today. The book contains pencil sketches, honoring the Thoreau family pencil business. In the book, I encourage readers to explore their own place in the world and to identify and conquer their own challenges.  I will briefly talk about three essays: reverence, resilience and choice. As we know, since Thoreau’s time, not much has fundamentally changed – wars, social injustice, environmental concerns precariously treading water with progress and growth.  In his essay, Nature, Emerson wrote, “The reason why the world lacks unity, and lies broken and in heaps, is because man is disunited with himself.” Thoreau resonated with this thinking, and his messages still have meaning today because we have not reunited with ourselves. It is my hope that from Paddlin’ with Thoreau, readers will reap the positive effects of restoring harmony within themselves by spending time in solitude and in nature.

“Cultivate Reverence.” – Henry David Thoreau, Journal, September 5, 1851, Age 34

 The first essay is about reverence, because I believe there is a connection between reverence and resilience. Reverence aligns with sacredness, and the quote is taken from this journal entry which seems to harbor a spiritual tone. My favorite church is nature. Out on my sacred Sunday morning paddle from the pew of my kayak, I see the tender water lily. Sacred. Fragile. Reverent. Thoreau felt profound reverence in his respect and awe for nature. Individually we have things that are sacred to us – family, friends, meaningful purpose.  What I know for sure is that we cherish and love what is sacred to us. We hold it tenderly in our trembling hands.  And we would do anything to protect what we love. Universally, we have our common home, Earth, which needs our reverence and protection now more than ever.  Over 30 years ago John Hay wrote The Immortal Wilderness. These seven words resonated deeply, “When nothing is sacred, nothing is safe.” How safe do we feel today? As I paddle upriver, I think of Thoreau’s words, “Pursue some path, however narrow and crooked, in which you can walk with love and reverence.” And I add: We must walk this way as if our lives depend on it. Because they do.

“How much beauty in decay!” – Henry David Thoreau, Journal, October 18, 1855, Age 38

The context for this essay on grief and resilience, comes from Thoreau’s journal entries while on the Concord River with his brother, John. He is searching for the meaning of life in decay and mentions the alburnum, the living, inside section of decomposing wood. Paddling near this waterscape, I notice the untethered tree trunk is no longer providing nourishment to buds and leaves on shore. There is grief over this loss.  But within its decaying remains, life is teeming. Resilience is blossoming in this elaborate floating terrarium. There is regeneration and hope. Thoreau witnessed resilience in nature’s ability to endure and adapt. Continuing to paddle I think of his quote, “The constant abrasion and decay of our lives makes the soil of our future growth.” Let us embrace the decaying trees in our lives, and prepare our soil with the optimism for faith in a brighter future. Reverence and resilience together encourage us to live harmoniously within our world.

MY ROSTER OF HOPE

Bryce, Bianca, Beckham, Lila, Kurtis, Harper, Oakley, Crew, Addie, Millie,

Teagan, Theo, Ada, Tessa, Noah, Warner, August, Amelia, Calvin, Juliette, Layla,

Brody, Michaela, Max, Finley, Wylee, Faye, Natalie, Kinsley, Ashlyn, Vinnie, Grayson

Which brings me to my Roster of Hope. These are the names of children recently born into my family and the families of people I love. They personalize the future for me. You have names like this in your families, too. Children, filled with joyful innocence and hope. They are counting on us! They want to know that we are doing our part to care for nature so that its same nurturing and healing benefits are there for them. We are their bridge over the troubled waters of the past and present, to a peaceful tomorrow. A tomorrow where they can have the confidence, in Thoreau’s words, to “live the life they have imagined.” We hold that sacred promise of a better world in our trembling hands.

And finally, tide of circumstance from Thoreau’s journal entry.  In this essay on choice, I reflect that no matter the tides of circumstance that cross the threshold on my shore, whether gentle waves of kindness or a menacing storm surge, I can always choose my response. So, as I paddle I ponder and I ask you, how do we proceed? Is it with love, or fear? Do we open our hearts with generosity, or do we clench our fists in greed? Do we live with compassion, or do we stand on the sidelines of indifference? Do we work towards unity or do we remain forever divided? Do some win and some lose? I say it’s an either/or proposition. We either all win, or we all lose. When we hold sacred the things we love with reverence, we nourish them with the resilience to endure. The choice is ours. Let us all lean a bit this way (indicate toward good side). Doesn’t that feel better already? And let us listen wholeheartedly to the echo of Thoreau’s words from Walden, “I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by a conscious endeavor.” We can’t fix anything, unless we fix ourselves first. The world is counting on us. Thank you.