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Over Christmas, my Mimi took my entire extended family on a vacation to Key West,
Florida. It was a great trip and, luckily, it turns out all 25 of us do like each other enough to
spend a whole week together! I loved Key West. I loved the roosters crowing in the morning, the
little boutiques, the exquisite Cuban coffee, and the gorgeous bakeries, but most of all I loved the
atmosphere of the island. Everyone hears about the slow, nonchalant feeling of a beach town, but
I had never truly understood what people were talking about until this trip.
I remember going out on a short boat tour after an afternoon of snorkeling. During the
tour, we went by a bunch of sailboats anchored offshore. Our guide told us that people lived in
those boats full-time. They live without running water, have few possessions, and are in a state of
constant movement. These people connect to land with little dingy boats they use to take trips to
the grocery store and the shower. Obviously, after finding out this was a way I could live, I
decided I, too, wanted to live on a sailboat. I read a bunch of blogs about life at sea, watched a
video about a couple spending their summers on a sailboat in the Mediterranean, and googled
sailing lessons in Louisville. I was ready to begin my Mamma Mia dreams. Now, you may be
noticing a problem with my ocean life plan: I am a college student living in Louisville, Kentucky
(not exactly congruent to sailboat life). Despite this minor issue, I allowed myself to continue to
imagine this future, but eventually, the idea was slowly stored away to not be thought about until
some time in the distant future, that was until a seminar on Henry David Thoureau’s Walden.
Walden by Henry David Thoreau is a reflection on simple living in natural surroundings.
Based on Thoreau’s two-year experiment living in a cabin near Walden Pond, the book explores
themes of self-reliance, nature, solitude, and spiritual growth. Thoreau encourages readers to live
deliberately and find meaning beyond materialism and societal expectations. There is this
famous line that I’ve heard numerous times throughout my life, and it has always stuck with me:
“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of
life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover
that I had not lived.” The individuals living in sailboats strike me as people who live
deliberately, intrinsically tied to the natural world, living in a unique, freeing way. Like Thoreau
in his cabin by Walden Pond, they have chosen a lifestyle that strips away excess and distraction.
With limited space, few possessions, and constant proximity to nature, they must focus on what
is essential—navigating weather, maintaining their boats, and sustaining daily life with intention
and awareness. Their connection to the natural rhythms of the sea and their rejection of
conventional comforts reflect Thoreau’s desire to “live deep and suck out all the marrow of life.”
In choosing this path, they seem to embrace the same spirit of simplicity, self-reliance, and
purpose that Thoreau champions in Walden.
I so admire this way of life, and I’ve realized that I want to live more deliberately in my
own life—not just someday on a sailboat, but now, in small and meaningful ways. I want to be
more present in my daily routine, to notice the quiet moments, to simplify where I can, and to
make choices that reflect what truly matters to me. Living deliberately doesn’t have to mean
moving to the woods or the sea; it can look like putting down your phone during dinner, taking a
walk without music, spending money more thoughtfully, being present with yourself while drinking a cup of tea, taking a moment to listen to a song you love, or carving out time to do
something you enjoy. As a society, we have become so bogged down in the hustle and bustle of
life. I know I get so caught up in trying to make my calendar as full as possible and focusing on
always trying to be productive, that I never take a breath for myself. I think it's time I attempt to
pull away from that lifestyle slightly and become present within myself because, really, we don’t
get all that much time. As Ferris Bueller says, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look
around once in a while, you could miss it”. I don’t want to miss my life, and I doubt you do
either, so I challenge you, too— to think about what it would look like for you to live more
deliberately, starting today, and then start doing it.
Caroline is a McConnell Scholar in the class of 2028 at the University of Louisville. She studies political science.