About The Project

 What is “The Thoreau Project?”

The Thoreau Project began when I had a very abrupt realization that for as long as I could remember, all I was doing was wishing my life away one day at a time. “I can’t wait to turn 18 so I can make my own decisions.” “How much  longer until the weekend?” “When will the winter be over?” “I can’t wait until I’m older so people take me seriously.” Every wish and each time I looked forward hoping time would fly by I was losing out on the chance to make the most of that very day. The Thoreau Project is meant to inspire individuals to do what interests them no matter how big or how small. It’s very similar to a “Bucket List” but instead of focusing on death, it focuses on living life to the fullest and taking advantage of the time we’re given to complete the things that make us happy. Life is short, and no matter how cliché, you really do only live once. Society sets forth an expectation that is enforced from the moment we’re able to understand responsibility. We must go to school, get a good job, make as much money as possible, find someone to marry, buy the biggest and nicest house possible, all while driving a shiny car and hoping to eventually be happy and content with our lives. We’re always planning for the next chapter of life, never fully living in the here and now. There’s so much to life we’re not experiencing because we’re taught to think inside the box rather than outside. I hope to inspire other people to start their own Thoreau Project and to document their journey as well. Some items will be easy, others you will have to work towards and could take years, but each time you write something new down or check an item off,  you’re doing something for yourself. No one can find any fault in that, no matter what society wants you to do with your life.

 Why “Thoreau?”

Henry David Thoreau was a true soul searcher. He recognized that the pace of life was speeding up and that those around him were losing their identities. He was fond of a simpler way of life focusing on connecting with nature and minimalist ideals. Now I’m not saying that I’m going disappear and go live in a cabin next to a lake  for two years, however, I did use Thoreau as my inspiration for getting back to the simpler things in life and the goals I wanted to accomplish. There are several quotes by Thoreau that I feel really connect to my goal and purpose for this project:

“You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment.”

“Why should we be in such desperate haste to succeed, and in such desperate enterprises? If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.”