ŷ������

On June 14th 2022 I emailed Rick Ridgeway. The subject: “just to say thanks��.

When I first read Rick Ridgeway’s book, I had quite a lot going on. I had just graduated from university and settled into a new job, but then had a pretty rough breakup with my girlfriend (and unfortunately, therefore some mutual friends too).

Rick’s book doesn’t touch on any related matters, in fact it hardly touches on such events. Things that seem like major life events, like getting your first job, or having a young family, having to balance finances, or choose a path in life, Rick seems to breeze straight through. He writes with clarity: while he’s plain that such things are challenges, he gets through them relatively unscathed, which he repeatedly attributes to various mantras and truisms across the chapters.

I think upon re-reading, this was the initial appeal to me, and remains the main appeal now. Rick not only has brilliant stories to tell but also wisdom by the bucket. I don’t think Rick’s life is particularly relatable, and some of the events feel potentially tone-deaf (being able to buy a house on the beach in California “as a dirt bag climber��, or having multimillionaire friends who are concerned about the environment that fly around in their personal planes). The writing can also be a bit clunky at points, and I sense some recency bias in the description of the events of the final chapters. But, the fact that these events are real and all happened to one person is extraordinary. Indeed, Rick and his friends seem like people who could make things happen, and it does not seem that they were born with a silver spoon.

To that end and given the wisdom imparted, Life Lived Wild reads to me not just as a memoir, but also as a self-help book: a book with lessons to share; tales of problems and solutions; advice on how to navigate life. Rick’s stories don’t show that you can avoid bad things, but his memoir shows us that if you do the right thing you can affect change and make the world a better place - all you have to do is do it. And, you’ll certainly leave this book with a few new favourite sayings in your vocabulary.

A few weeks after I sent my email, I got one back from Rick, saying that he really appreciated my letter, inviting me to meet in person if I’m ever in California. What a cool guy.