Life is fast, and I’ve found it’s easy to confuse the miraculous for the mundane, so I’m slowing down, way down, in order to give my full presence to the extraordinary that infuses each moment and resides in every one of us.
On October 14, 2011, Andrew Forsthoefel walked out the backdoor of his home in Chadds Ford, PA. He had graduated that spring from Middlebury College, and was ready to begin his adult life -- but he didn't know where to begin. So he decided to go on a journey. And with a sign on his backpack reading "Walking to Listen," he began a cross-country quest: to learn to be his own guide, and to gather stories of human experience.
As Andrew walked his way to the Pacific, he often faced fear and loneliness. But he also encountered incredible kindness from strangers -- willing to let him pitch a tent in their yard, or crash on their couch; ready to cook him a hot meal, join in a song, open their family photo albums. He heard from people whose views he didn't share, and struggled with when to speak up. He faced the threat of violence, even while contending with the privileges of his appearance. But, true to his mission, it's the stories of others, living all along the roads of America, that really carry this journey, and sing forth in a hopeful, heartfelt book about how a life is made, and how our nation defines itself on the most human level.
