reading all books referenced on Gilmore girls

Let's set the scene...

Luke is starting to question starting up another relationship with Rachel

Lorelai: Oh no. No no. I don't want to hear about the romance of being a loner.
Luke: Some guys are just naturally loners.
Lorelai: Yes, lonely guys.
Luke: Independent guys.
Lorelai: Sad guys.
Luke: Maverick guys.
Lorelai: Lee Harvey Oswald.
Luke: John Muir.
Lorelai: The unabomber.
Luke: Henry David Thoreau
Lorelai: Every one of these sad and lonely guys.

 

My thoughts:

About 11 years ago, Husband and I purchased 6 acres of properties In the Middle of Nowhere, New York.  We had to snowshoe a mile in feet of snow to even look at the property we were interested in (note: I had a sinus infection AND bronchitis during this... to this day, I believe this makes me the most kick ass woman to ever live).  There was nothing on the property... we hired a company to clear the necessary land and to build a small cabin for us.  And my father-in-law built us an outhouse.  It was only about 3 years ago that we got electricity.  And we still don't have water.  There is absolutely no cell service or access to wifi.  

 

And some of our happiest times have been in a place where we didn't have Facebook, hadn't showered in 3 days and were crapping in a hole.

 

Because of this, I was easily able to relate to Thoreau's experiences alone in the woods surrounding Walden Pond.  Nature is a religion to him. Although HDT's writing about his 2 year, 2 months and 2 days was published in 1854, the demons he appeared to be trying to escape seem very similar to those that we struggle with in the modern world.  He may not have obsessively checked Twitter on his iPhone every 30 seconds, but needing a break from society is a obviously a tale as old as time.  

 

My reading of this book actually came at a perfect time for me, personally.  I've been realizing just how much my iPhone impacts my reading time and comprehension.  I will sit down for a good reading session, and will find myself picking up my cell each time I finish a page.  Do I really need to see whatever Vaguebooking someone I barely know just posted on Facebook the minute she posts it?  Do I need to know what funny meme George Takei shares with his fans the second he shares it?  As Thoreau's writing did it's work on me, I began to force myself to leave my phone in a separate room while I read.  And shocker of all shockers, it turns out that you get a lot more reading done when you're not scrolling through your phone once every 5 minutes.  Who woulda thunk?