Found in Maine: Clarity, Purpose and a New Life Direction

I set out on a solo adventure to Acadia National Park in Maine to evaluate where I was in my life and compare it to where I wanted to be.

I was working a job for local county government as a senior level analyst, making good money with excellent benefits; a job most people would covet. But I was left wanting more. A former Peace Corps volunteer with an undeniable traveler's spirit that wasn't flourishing in my current lifestyle.

But everything seemed to become clear in Maine; the next week I quit my job and decided to live the life I had always wanted to live.

Where to Sleep

Morgan Bay Zendo

Morgan Bay Zendo is an incredible place and was one of the main reasons this trip was so fulfilling and powerful.

Located in Surry, Maine, about an hour drive from Acadia National Park, Morgan Bay Zendo is an isolated oasis that offers free guided or individual meditation for guests and the community. The grounds are peaceful and include a meditation hall , kitchen, showers, non-flush toilets, impressive library, four small cabins and a field for tent camping. A pond, moss garden, and wooded paths complement the facilities.

Parking is about 1/4 mile from the grounds; as soon as you get there the tranquility begins as you walk across bridges over a rustling creek.

I rented one of the four small cabins for 3 days and was thoroughly impressed by the accommodations. All the people I met were friendly. There was a woman staying there who was completing 90 days without talking. Another guest was part of the WOOF program, helping the Zendo with upkeep and maintenance. I joined the guided meditation each night I was there which included a kind of Meditation 101 followed by 45 minutes of silent meditation in the hall and a walk through the moss garden. Afterwards, we all had a discussion about life and happiness. Needless to say, I highly recommend this place.

To Do

Acadia National Park

Acadia National Park was the closest thing to a “religious experience” I’ve ever had. I will call it my Mother Nature experience. Maybe it’s just the point I was in life, maybe it was because I went alone (probably) or maybe because it is just the fucking most beautiful place I’ve ever been (definitely), but something happened as I explored the edge of the continent at 6:00 a.m.

I woke up at 3:00 a.m. to catch the sunrise at the top of Cadillac Mountain. From the Zendo it is about  an hour drive, a peaceful hour drive with hardly a car sharing the road and views of every star in the galaxy. Getting to a park this early allows you to avoid entrance fees. Park along the road heading up Cadillac Mountain and hike to an area where few people are sitting. It can get crowded so go early and scope out a spot.

While waiting or the sunrise I appreciated the alone time. After watching the first sunrise in the country, I headed to hike the Ocean Path from Sand Beach to Otter Point.

My thought as I roamed the trail was "What the fuck am I doing - let’s get this life on the path it should be on." I had the trail all to myself. I was able to really be free in nature. To interact with it in the way I wanted to. No man made barriers. This is what John Muir wrote about. This is what Lau Tso was talking about in the Tao de Jing, to be with nature. We are one, all the plants and animals share nature, compose and create nature.

The first person I saw was a guy who asked for directions and was then promptly on his way. After that interaction, the feeling of fear engulfed me. I started walking fast, not being able to enjoy and continue this beautiful experience I was having. Two minutes of looking down and back, not looking to the left at the fucking amazingness of our planet! Before encountering him I was an explorer. I almost fell of a cliff and was one of those assholes who died while trying to take the perfect selfie. But I was exploring, alone with nature at the end of the cliffs looking down into the ocean, exploring.

But after I saw this man, those experiences were taken from me by the fear of being alone, female and vulnerable, unless I was stronger than that. This may not be the right way to approach it but this is my philosophy on most things and it allows me to fully experience all I want to without fear: if something is going to happen, it’s going to happen. I cannot control it. Nothing I do prevents it. The world will unfold as it will. And I was released.  I said fuck this, I will not let anyone take this from me. I slowed down, went off the main trail again, took it in, experienced.

If I let fear control me, I would never experience some incredible things, I would never grow and realize things about myself, and this time, I would never have realized I needed to quit my job, which is what I did a week later.

Portland Head Light

On my drive down from Maine to Boston, I stopped by the Portland Head Light, a historic Lighthouse in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. It is picturesque and worth a quick stop to walk around the grounds and snap some pics.