Nick Offerman Gets Down to Earth

For Hollywood stars, there might be nothing harder than staying grounded. Just ask Nick Offerman, who became famous for his portrayal of Ron Swanson on the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation. Ever since, Offerman, who was raised on a pig farm in rural Illinois, has strived to stay connected to his roots. He does this through woodworking (he crafts a mean canoe), seeking out discomfort (hiking in the cold, laboring on a sheep farm in England), and reading foundational environmental writers like Wendell Berry and Aldo Leopold. He captures all of that in his new book, Where the Deer and the Antelope Play: The Pastoral Observations of One Ignorant American Who Loves to Walk Outside. In this episode, Offerman shares stories from his pursuit of a humbler life and offers up some choice lessons for making a deeper connection with the world beyond your door.

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