Thoreau’s comment about Wildness immediately reminded me of Mark Kenyon’s book, That Wild Country: an epic journey into the past, present and future of America’s public places. We, the public, own the wildest, most remote lands on our continent, preserved at various times by those who believed, as Thoreau did, that “in wildness lies the preservation of our world.” I enjoyed the book’s personal journeys into some of our nation’s wildest places, and perhaps you might too. But the thoughtful question posed by our professor also led me to ponder my own experiences in wildness. When I seek to step out of a day’s chaos, I often find myself watching the rushing river under the culvert next to the woods behind my house. Or I sit next to a bubbly spring in the thick of the woods, where a warbler overhead sings a warning note that her nest is nearby. The places where I most seek peace are rarely the most peaceful places – for life goes on in motion and sound, color and scent… the wind blows, the leaves rustle, and in the midst of nature’s wild chorus, I find peace.