Well, considering that I have spent my last hour reading on websites about homesteading, I figured I would blog about it. I didn't know exactly what homesteading was either, but somehow one of those random search chases ended up at this little site http://www.homestead.org/. If you have gmail, you know about those little side links to your emails, right? Well, one of them said LDS ringtones (which I think is hysterical to begin with), then I jumped to a modest clothing link that actually got me to websites for Jewish and Muslim women's clothing(very fun), and then I was off to a different blog of a woman who decided to homestead and then on to find out what homesteading was.
Anyway, I have always had a fascination with living off the land. We gardened growing up and made paper once and visited some friends of my mom that owned their own farm. So, through my childhood, somehow I gained a little part of me that wanted to see if I could learn to make things and support myself off of God's creations. Now all of you know me and this may actually come as a surprise to some of you, due to my general distaste for cooking. Hmmm..are there any Amish women who don't cook? I'd like that gig.
One of my all-time favorite books is My Side of the Mountain. It is about a young boy who decides to go and live on the mountain that his family owns and survive alone in the wilderness through the winter. Really, I like any of those books. I remember my mom reading us Julie of the Wolves and Island of the Blue Dolphin-both great survival stories.
Bronwyn's family also lived in an actual tee-pee one summer and I still regret that I didn't know them then. So sad. Unfortunately, I don't think that John will ever have a strong desire to sell our comfortable home and move somewhere and live off the land, so I may just leave this little dream behind. Hmmm....he has mentioned that he wanted to buy a tractor! Ya think?
As I have a long list of things that I would like to do before I die, I have realized that some of those things may never happen. The time and season for those things may be over. What do you do with those ideas or dreams that will never be, but still hang around teasing you? What dreams have you put aside or which are unlikely, but you still hope to accomplish?
5 comments:
I think that we have dreams that we kind of know are a little too far off our life map because we need to know that there is something else besides our life map. I was fascinated by Island of the Blue Dolphins and Little House in the Big Woods for that exact reason. They were SO different from my trimmed hedged Pasadena street but just as real and valid. I love that you love those books too. And how awesome to find your blog!!! Oh - and the honey is lovely. You're on the wall of heroes. :D I have my list of things go do before I die too - it includes climbing a glacier, petting a lion, driving a dog sled and being on Oprah -among others. So high five sistah!
I have many dreams that I’ve wanted to come true. Some that I was pretty sure to begin with would never happen (like seeing my name on Broadway). Some that I hoped would come true but haven’t (like having kids by the time I was 30). And some that still might come true (like getting married, maybe).
If I think about it in the wrong way, I can very bummed. (Hence my post on my ordinary life). But, what I’ve been trying to do is think about dreams in the relation to time. Yes, some of my dreams might not come true in this earthly life, but I have eternity! And the dreams that are accomplishable, I will do them. I will! I’ll take 100 years off and do them. I figure the stuff I love will still be available. And the little mortal trivial stuff, I’ll leave behind.
I think your desire to homestead is completely accomplishable. Maybe not in the next 100 years, but perhaps the next. We have eternity. I don’t see why you couldn’t live off the land for 10 of those years, or even 50. Righteousness can be done wherever we are, and that’s all that matters.
For the dreams that I really wanted, righteous things that are good to dream of, but haven’t happened, in those cases, I turn to the Lord. I ask for his help and understanding.
Man, Amanda, I think I’m going to have to do a blog post on this; you’ve really got me thinking!
Do you think there is tap dancing in heaven? If not, I better get going on that one now. Have I mentioned that there is a woodworking program here at the Community College? I am excited about that. I feel like that is one of those dreams that I will accomplish and I'm pretty sure I can work in the tap dancing one. I was talking to John awhile back and we were talking about what Heaven would be like and I really don't think about it much. I really enjoy this time I have and although I am not afraid to die, I certainly want more time on earth to accomplish so many more things. I love the opportunity to learn new hobbies and new information. There is so much out there to learn and read and experience. You know there are people out there that don't have tons of interests? I can't imagine! I want to learn and try everything. Isn't life great?
Life is great, yes! Guess what? Chuck (yes, I said Chuck) is enrolling in...a CC Wood Working Class! Where is his greatest fan when we need you?
Way to Go Chuck!!!! You tell him that not only am I proud of him, but wish that I could be there and be his little cabinet making buddy!! How fun. Well, tell him that I will expect to see pictures of any new creations.
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