A simple lifestyle is an opportunity in life to test the waters of your imagination and capabilities. It takes a little getting used to especially if you were a city-dweller for most of your life, as I was. One of the biggest challenges is leaving the convenience and services that a big-city area offers. There are no drive-through fast-food places here, nor are there big-chain grocery stores.

You learn to buy your supplies in bulk as you limit the number of times you do travel to the city. You manage, you learn, and then you appreciate. Waking up in the morning to a crisp breeze and hearing all the birds that have been up for hours exhilerates and brings renewed energy for whatever the day will bring. You waste nothing in your new life and finding new ways to use “old” things is definitely par and parcel out in the wilderness.

Your basic interests, ambitions, and goals have not changed. They are just put up a little higher, with a lot of side trips to enjoy where you are and what you have. You are the same person outside but inside – a whole new world has opened up in your life. People ask if we ever get bored or stir-crazy out here. The answer is an emphatic-NO WAY. There is always something happening – there are plants to be taken care of, animals to be fed, repairs to be done, and a gorgeous sunset to see.

The smells and sounds of nature are captivating and habit-forming. Even a storm is seen through new eyes. There are never enough hours in the day to see, hear, taste, touch, and feel everything that nature has in store. You try and contain yourself or otherwise you would be awake 24-hours out of the day just to take it all in.