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Reviewed by Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Readers' Favorite
If more than a year with a pandemic has taught us anything, it’s to cherish what we have and to enjoy the natural world around us. Nature is where true beauty lies. Living in a locked-down world is difficult at the best of times and certainly not good for our mental well-being. Dave Murphy’s words, “The virus was a corrosive acid on my mental health,” are truly profound and so accurate. We are all suffering, but there are ways to cope. For Dave and his partner, escaping to various national parks was one way. Writing about his adventures was yet another. Life can be a conglomeration of questionable attributes and we are, even at the best of times, full of questions, many of which will never be answered in anyone’s lifetime. But we can find a sense of equilibrium, a place where our mental well-being can find some balance. “The meadow taught me peace,” Dave wrote multiple times and, following his journey, the reader can understand and appreciate why.
My Covid Era Odyssey To Reclaim My Sanity: A Humorous Philosophical Travelogue is Dave Murphy’s journey of discovery, of recovery, and one of struggling to maintain some sense of sanity in a world gone mad. Written with an appreciation of the beauty of the natural world, the author offers his own philosophical insights into the situation we all find ourselves in. There is a touch of humor in his writing, a good thing because humor is perhaps the only medicine that can truly heal. Many of his thoughts and reflections are somber, intense, while others are mere descriptive narratives of what he sees and the trails he follows. Life is a journey and Dave’s travels clearly depict this fact. The simple presentation of his story, a travelogue of sorts, is a comforting look at the beauty that is still around us in spite of the pandemic. Very intense, entertaining, and thought-provoking.
