I have grandparents on both sides of my family that have lived in the country or made a living off the land. So I grew up with the opportunity to be around cows, horses sometimes, gather fresh eggs from chickens, drink fresh milk right after the cow has been milked, pick fresh vegetables and fruits.
I remember back to my little manufactured house that I bought when my son’s dad and I divorced. The yard was tiny and it wasn’t fenced or anything, but I had some small planting beds around the house. There is something so satisfying about working the soil with your hands and creating a small spot of beauty and life with simple flowers.
The more we hear about tainted foods and horrific factory conditions where our foods are produced, especially meats, the more we long to return to a more simple way of living. That pull is getting stronger and stronger. Living off the land is by no means easy! In fact, we have none of the tenacity that our ancestors had. They only ate what they grew. They put up foods to get them through the entire year. They made their own clothes. They worked from dawn to dusk. They were self-sufficient. They were dependable. They were amazing. I want to be that amazing.
The older I get, the more I long for a little piece of land of our own - to own a small part of the earth. My husband and I love growing things…although he is light years ahead of me in knowledge and skill in that area. We have a plan developing to get us back to the land. For now, I’ll need to be satisfied with visiting the family farm just north of here. And reading and learning everything I can about the skills I want to put into practice.
I read a book recently that talked about the misconception that we have to have lots of stuff and all the modern conveniences to have a good life. That somehow, we’ve decided that we are settling for less by taking a step back to a more simple way of life. I don’t long for an easy life…just a more simple one. One that actually raises our standard of living because it’s so fulfilling.
