Truth be told it’s probably both more manual labour and more stress and uncertainty than I could handle, even though the peaceful seclusion out in nature speaks to me deeply.
Do you ever regret it, or are you happy about the tradeoff even during times of struggle?
I find that some of the manual labor and stress involved with trying to keep basic infrastructure running is easier to handle than the stress I get during my day job.
Like somehow when my stress is tied more closely to survival, it tickles the fight side of the fight-or-flight response more so than the flight response that you have to squash to maintain a job.
Having said that. We are not really that utterly remote. There is a gas station, Post office, and small grocery type store, about 18 minutes away.
That 18 minutes can seem daunting sometimes if the plows haven’t been out in the middle of winter though…
I’m sure there are moments of regret when I’m standing outside with a kettleful of water I warmed up to thaw the pipes to restore function to my toilet. But in general I don’t think I regret it. I feel strangely anxious every time we go to the city now.
Man you are literally living my dream.
When the water lines freeze or there’s not enough sun for 3 days and we start to worry about having enough power, it doesn’t feel like a dream.
But the rest of the time it really does…
And the manual labor aspect is definitely a lot more intense than City living.
But morning coffee with a chipmunk on my lap really balances it out.
Truth be told it’s probably both more manual labour and more stress and uncertainty than I could handle, even though the peaceful seclusion out in nature speaks to me deeply.
Do you ever regret it, or are you happy about the tradeoff even during times of struggle?
I find that some of the manual labor and stress involved with trying to keep basic infrastructure running is easier to handle than the stress I get during my day job.
Like somehow when my stress is tied more closely to survival, it tickles the fight side of the fight-or-flight response more so than the flight response that you have to squash to maintain a job.
Having said that. We are not really that utterly remote. There is a gas station, Post office, and small grocery type store, about 18 minutes away.
That 18 minutes can seem daunting sometimes if the plows haven’t been out in the middle of winter though…
I’m sure there are moments of regret when I’m standing outside with a kettleful of water I warmed up to thaw the pipes to restore function to my toilet. But in general I don’t think I regret it. I feel strangely anxious every time we go to the city now.