I have been extremely remiss in writing lately. I started writing this blog for me, and if anyone else happened upon it and enjoyed it or learned something from it that's a bonus. It has been very therapeutic and lately the lack of writing is evident in my daily life.
There are no excuses - just a fast "catch-up" on what's been going on. In December I had bronchitis for the holidays, and recovered just in time to have sinus surgery on January 9th. My activity is still somewhat limited and recovery is slower than usual, but recovery so it is. The chicks moved from the closet to the barn in a mini-coop, and then into the back coop with their mini-coop inside of it. They are gorgeous girls and we are sure they will be a fantastic addition to our pastures. A week ago we bought and brought home a mini-lamancha buck named Neville. He's perfect for Balvenie and Gerie, but he is working on earning his place in the herd.
The real reason I logged in to write today though is a bit more introspective.
We raise our goats and sell our soaps. We raise our own chickens for eggs and meat. We bake our own bread and cook from scratch. We make our own beer and wine. We set our own fences and are building our own garden. We make our own cheeses, and we even make our own laundry detergent. We work hard at our day jobs and on our farm that we consider our real job. And we are often asked "Why?" from folks who work at the same type of day jobs and go home only to regenerate enough to do it again the next day. We often hear "How do you have the energy for all of that?"
The answer to the question of "Why?" has so many layers. More and more often as I go to my day job and work to the best of my ability I find myself asking what sort of way is this to live? We spend our time working in jobs we do not love to go home exhausted and try to cobble together what we do want because it is all a step in the direction of achieving our goal. That goal is to some day be off the grid and sustain ourselves from our own land. We want to reduce our negative impact on mother earth. We want to feel that what we do makes a difference in our own lives and in the lives of others.
We choose a simpler life. That means in the meantime is that we work toward the goal of having no debts, and building a means of supporting our desired lifestyle. My favorite work is always with the animals and the land, even when it's blistering hot or freezing cold. It matters.
That is a worthwhile choice.
You're back! I was afraid you weren't going to do it anymore, with you having been sick, and with all the things you have to do. It is so good to read your "letters" again. I read them to my kids , and they like it as much as I do. I'm glad you're all right.
ReplyDeleteThanks. I cannot walk away from it :-).
ReplyDeleteIt's a very worthwhile choice, and I applaud you for it.
ReplyDeleteFor the past 20 years I've despised the work I do. It pays the bills, it offers challenges and rewards but in the end there is no satisfaction.
I'm personally entering a new stage in my career. It's the same work, but the environment, the people and the stress are much, much different than anything I've encountered in the past 30 years I've been in this industry. Now, at least, the job is satisfying, it's rewarding to the point that we can actually enjoy living and it provides the best work/life balance I've ever had.
It's still not my dream job, but I'll have to decide, commit and knuckle down in a very similar fashion of what you're doing to make the dream come true.
Keep it up, Brenda. You're an inspiration, and I think many more people than you know are watching, learning and cheering you on.