Desire to Leave-Eric Fesmire

"No, life cannot be understood flat on a page. It has to be lived; a person has to get out of his head, has to fall in love, has to memorize poems, has to jump off bridges into rivers, has to stand in an empty desert and whisper sonnets under his breath... We get one story, you and I, and one story alone. God has established the elements, the setting and the climax and resolution. It would be a crime not to venture out, wouldn't it?"-Don Miller

Donald Miller in his book Through Painted Deserts tells a story of his leaving his home and traveling through the American West. It is a story of finding himself in traveling through America. This quote captures his desire for his readers to break out of their rhythms and lives and go out and see the world. It is written after the experience, and is in many ways still learning from his experiences on the road. This story is itself a pilgrimage with moments of uncertainty and fear throughout. He tells this story using the ideas of a story: it begins with the setting (place) and within that setting there is a climax and a resolution. I really enjoyed this book and think it works well with understanding wilderness as sacred place.