One of my husband and I’s favorite kind of podcasts to listen to are those from people who choose to live off the grid or “homestead”. The kind of adventures these people get into, and the things they become experts on fascinate us and may one day inspire us to start a similar journey of our own. But for now, we just enjoy the tales from the comfort of our car.
On Today’s Episode…
Today the episode we listened to featured a woman who departed the typical American life to live off grid. She has a tiny home on a mountain in Wyoming and is self-sufficient with free time and financial freedom. Sounds like a dream, right?! One of the things she said really hit home. She mentioned that people can look at her now and say “Wow, she’s so lucky she can just wake up and make some tea and wander the wilderness with no obligations” . The woman said while this is true, this is only possible because of the 6 years of work and learning that led up to this point. One thing she made known is that nothing comes easy and nothing is perfect. It took her work and dedication to carve out a life that she wanted for herself.
I love this. I think it applies to everyone no matter how they are living. It’s tempting to see how other people live and to think that they are just lucky or “have it perfect”. What we don’t see is the mundane toil that got them there. It can be tempting too, to throw pity (or envy) parties when we see others succeed. I’ve grown to have less patience for that sort of thing. If I’m looking to someone else and envious of what they have, it’s not anything to do with them. It’s all to do with me and what choices I am (or am not) making that is the source of my disdain.
Easy street is not a place that any of us walk down. But with discipline and grit we can carve out our own type of paradise. Whether that be on a mountain in Wyoming or in our own backyard.