Book excerpt: For 12 consecutive months, author Brian Bender lived a nomadic life on small organic farms across the United States. Leaving behind a teaching career, he hopped from farm to farm through an organization called WOOF: World-Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms. Along with his spiritual journey, Bender embarked upon a spiritual quest in meditation centers around the country. The heart of this story lies with the unusual people, animals, and tasks on each farm. Bender entered this year of transformation a high school science teacher and came out educated in the ways of sustainable living and human happiness.