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A gentle snow is falling, once again, as this morningâs dawn struggles to greet the day. The long, sleepless night has dulled my senses, leaving little to brighten this otherwise gloomy day. Yet I refuse to give in, to sacrifice the gift which life holds and waste away the hours, each as precious as the next.
Last night presented yet another of lifeâs âopportunitiesâ as I spent the night watching over a nervous doe in the rabbitry while she kindled a new litter. The creation of life is a wonder to behold but a fragile one nonetheless. Numbness set in somewhere around 3 AM as I sat in the dimly lit room, questioning how I came to this place. I gently blew into my frozen fingers, somehow thinking the warmth would shed light on why Iâve chosen to pursue a self-sufficient lifestyle when the world around me appears to be the land of plenty. Complacency, reliance upon others to do for me what I could do for myself in this disposable worldâ¦isnât that what we are shown by the media? Almost everyone else buys into this; why should I be any different?
The only answer I could come up with is just thatâ¦because I am different. The school of hard knocks taught me to stand on my own two feet, to be humble, and, when faced with choices, to think before I lodge my size 11s between my molars. Iâve learned to look past the disapproving looks of others when they find that I keep the chickens, goats, rabbits, and whatever else I see as a suitable fit in providing for my family. Iâve learned to disregard ignorance as many assume that a homesteader is a poor, lazy and uneducated, outcast from society.
I find quite the opposite to be true. Homesteaders are a humble, hard working, quiet minority. We work hard, harder than most will ever know. Last night was a vivid reminder for me. Raising livestock is a 24x7 job. Vacations are almost non-existent with the exception of a rare night away (back the next morning to feed and water). And ignorant, not from where Iâm standing. Give a homesteader the opportunity to solve a problem and theyâll come up with a creative, easy to implement, low cost solutionâ¦and theyâll share what theyâve learned just for the asking. Take, for instance, this bulletin board and the amount of knowledge that traverses the Internet each day. Folks come from all walks of life to talk, share ideas, and lend a hand when need be, all with people theyâve probably never even met in person, let alone know their real names.
Well, enough self-indulgent pondering. Guess I just wanted to lean over the fence post to say thanks to everyone for being such good neighbors. So, what brings you to this place and to the homesteading life style?
Last night presented yet another of lifeâs âopportunitiesâ as I spent the night watching over a nervous doe in the rabbitry while she kindled a new litter. The creation of life is a wonder to behold but a fragile one nonetheless. Numbness set in somewhere around 3 AM as I sat in the dimly lit room, questioning how I came to this place. I gently blew into my frozen fingers, somehow thinking the warmth would shed light on why Iâve chosen to pursue a self-sufficient lifestyle when the world around me appears to be the land of plenty. Complacency, reliance upon others to do for me what I could do for myself in this disposable worldâ¦isnât that what we are shown by the media? Almost everyone else buys into this; why should I be any different?
The only answer I could come up with is just thatâ¦because I am different. The school of hard knocks taught me to stand on my own two feet, to be humble, and, when faced with choices, to think before I lodge my size 11s between my molars. Iâve learned to look past the disapproving looks of others when they find that I keep the chickens, goats, rabbits, and whatever else I see as a suitable fit in providing for my family. Iâve learned to disregard ignorance as many assume that a homesteader is a poor, lazy and uneducated, outcast from society.
I find quite the opposite to be true. Homesteaders are a humble, hard working, quiet minority. We work hard, harder than most will ever know. Last night was a vivid reminder for me. Raising livestock is a 24x7 job. Vacations are almost non-existent with the exception of a rare night away (back the next morning to feed and water). And ignorant, not from where Iâm standing. Give a homesteader the opportunity to solve a problem and theyâll come up with a creative, easy to implement, low cost solutionâ¦and theyâll share what theyâve learned just for the asking. Take, for instance, this bulletin board and the amount of knowledge that traverses the Internet each day. Folks come from all walks of life to talk, share ideas, and lend a hand when need be, all with people theyâve probably never even met in person, let alone know their real names.
Well, enough self-indulgent pondering. Guess I just wanted to lean over the fence post to say thanks to everyone for being such good neighbors. So, what brings you to this place and to the homesteading life style?
