296: Finding a Sense of Place Through Wandering (John Messick, author and professor)

Sometimes the best way to understand the importance of connecting to your place in the world is through wandering away from it. And when we pair that with spending time in the wild outdoors, we might also learn that things aren’t quite as wild as they seemed from the outside. Maybe what you think of as “wild” others simply consider “home.”

John Messick, author of the new book Compass Lines, is currently grounded in Alaska -- but his life hasn’t always looked that way. In this episode he talks about the importance of belonging in relation to the world, how he found that in his travels and how you might be able to find it too. Listen now.

Connect with this episode:

Read Compass Lines: Journeys Toward Home (affiliate link)Visit John Messick’s website Follow John Messick on Instagram Join the Humans Outside Challenge Follow Humans Outside on Instagram Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Some of the good stuff:

[2:23] John’s favorite outdoor space [5:15] How he became someone who likes to go outside [10:02] The idea of wild [14:03] How does traveling the world impact that idea [18:27] How many countries has he visited? [20:23] What was he looking for during his travels? [21:21] A diversion to “Gathland” [27:13] Tip for finding a grounding where you are [30:31] John’s favorite outdoor space