The Travel Diaries · Tuesday, September 15, 2026
Author Kathleen Moran discusses her new book, "How to Be Hopeful," which explores maintaining a positive outlook amidst global chaos and personal challenges like menopause. Moran shares that her initial impulse was to "run away" and start a self-sufficient civilization, a plan thwarted by cost.
“it feels like for the last 10 or 15 years, that things have been increasingly chaotic. Everything's too much. Uh, talk about the future is becoming increasingly gloomy. We feel increasingly powerless. And there's just this general sense that we're living through a terrible time and it's all too much.”
“So my conclusion was that civilization was a busted flush and that I was going to run away to the mountains of Wales and live in a self-sufficient farm where I would have my own well and forge my own tools and grow my own food.”
“And the book is about the year-long quest that I went on to see if it was possible to once again feel hopeful. And I have to say, spoiler alert, it worked.”