Award-winning poet Mary Oliver shares her profound affinity for the natural world in this collection of inspiring essays. With all the beauty of verse loosened into prose, she speaks of her time among the trees, the fields, and the animals, and of her long-held love affair with literature—particularly with the writings of her "best friend" Walt Whitman, whose works kept her company throughout her lonely childhood. With reflections on life, family, and one's place in the world, Oliver creates a volume brimming with introspection and gentle encouragement to press on, trudge upstream, and find our way to what's truly important.