It humors me when I look back on our lives.
I don’t even have to go back that far. I mean, who are those impostors? Those two young kids who agreed to walk down the isle together. They really had no clue what lay ahead of them. The birth of 4 children. Building a life again and again in several different cities before finally settling back in Oregon. Only to move again.
With so many adventures in between.
We are all supposed to grow. To change. To evolve, in a way. Our relationships mature and sometimes they splinter apart. We adjust our priorities. Our interests shift to different things as we age and the world around us ages too.
Sometimes people can grow stale if they never allow their lives to change. I don’t want to be that kind of person. So when I look back and see how much we’ve grown, I feel incredibly blessed.
It would be the truth to say that homesteading has changed our lives. It’s not that our lives were empty before. We just didn’t know how incredibly full our lives could be.
The things we thought we knew back then seem so little now compared to all that we’ve experienced. So uninteresting. We raise pigs, manage almost 50 egglaying hens and grow most of the produce that our family consumes. We’ve built things with our hands. We’ve launched and run a successful market garden business in the middle of the cornbelt. I mean…whaaaaat?
I think I like where we are. I think I love who we’re becoming.
And maybe that’s the point of all of this. To become. To become people who are becoming.
It’s funny to me, because when I look back I see some huge contradictions. I think these serve as proof that people can change, that minds can open to experiences and our lives are not meant to be spent inside a vacuum.
1) We used to hate the idea of having chickens
Katie was afraid of birds. I was a little creeped out about cracking open a fresh egg. Oh how all that has changed!
2) I used to dream about traveling, but now I’m a homebody
Seriously. We’ve learned there is no reason to escape our life to find paradise. We’re building it right here.
3) We’re way more conscious about where our food comes from
And we understand why it matters. Our national food system is biased, broken and not very sustainable. Think about the amount recalls we’ve seen over the last couple years. Grow it yourself. Or choose to support locally sourced foods. Either way, get to know your farmer and you’ll have a better appreciation for the food you consume.
4) We’re aware of what we don’t know, but more confident in trying new things
This is kind of the reason people leave the “matrix” to find an old fashioned way of living, isn’t it? There is such joy in learning to do new things, and in practicing them becoming less dependent on the system.
Whatever kind of life you are pursuing, I hope you find joy and meaning. Keep growing. Keep reaching. Keep becoming.
And if you’re interested in learning how to pursue a homesteading lifestyle, let’s talk. There’s so much more to share!
Be well.
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