Yes, I'm a little behind. We went up to see MacGyver's parents for a few days and do some homeschool trips to museums and such. You're looking at the Hale family homestead, circa 1800.
When I stepped into the tiny one room cabin and looked around, I had a strange thought. When everyone else would be marveling that someone actually lived on so little, I felt jealous.
What would life be like if I had so little to keep track of? Tiny room with few belongings, garden, animals, and miles and miles of empty land. It sounds refreshing. It evokes the same feeling in me as taking a deep breath of crisp clean air.
Then my more cynical side reminds me that my simple life would have a few accompaniments. Disease. Accidents. Winter. Summer. Bugs. Bears. Wolves. Dirt. Very dark nights.
Sure, MacGyver and I could make it. Our kids would definitely whine less. (Or maybe more...) We'd toughen up and live off the land. But I suppose it would be hard to ever go from a life of luxury to a life where you live to survive instead of live to enjoy.
But I still believe that we can live with less. I'm still firmly settled that we have too much stuff, we take up too much space and use up too many resources. It's ridiculous in the light of most of history. What made us so entitled to so much? Do we realize our descendants might someday dig up their past and find a disgusting layer of trash and junk? I'm embarrassed.
I wish there was a place to go to live simply as in this log cabin - just for a few days or weeks. To learn what we can really do for ourselves. To realize what we really don't need.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Mandy, I've been there!! Growing up in northern Ohio, we used to go there with our elementary school :)
ReplyDeleteI traveled with Mike quite a bit when his work/travel schedule was so heavy and I always was frustrated to come home. We managed to live all week off of a small bag of clothes for each and just a few toys and our homeschool stuff. Then I came home to such excess....it's no wonder our house is so cluttered! Keeping a hotel clean when there's only a few things to pick up and you're done is easy ;)
I would always wonder how to bring home that streamlined ease from a hotel room. But then I'd look at my things at home and think, well I don't want to give up this or this........
We are so on the same page about much of what you've been going thru with this project. We've been slowly moving in this direction for quite some time now (in many of the same areas).
ReplyDeleteIf the housing market was better we'd be living in the country, growing more of our own food, and living much more simply than now. But, that isn't the way it has worked out, so we're gonna make the best of what we have been blessed with (house and property) and do what we can here.
It is so interesting to read your blog and know that there are other people out there who are thinking the same way. So thank you for blogging about your experiences. :)
You're right, Holly, we can't live with it, we can't live without it. Sigh!
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean, Steph. Hannah is begging for us to move to the country and buy her a horse. That sounds so appealing - to have room to breathe. But as you said, we are blessed with a house and we just need to do the best we can where we are for now.