WORDS TO LIVE BY

The current movement away from the cities and into the country goes by a variety of names.

Each of these names means something to those who use them, but none of them are limited to only one aspect of the phenomenon. As a result, some folks new to the movement express consternation when going from one group to another on social media as they think they are looking for a specific lifestyle.

HERE'S THE TRUTH—There is no single term with a pure definition to describe what it means to look for a simpler lifestyle.

Even the word "SIMPLER" as used above is fraught with difficulties, because there is nothing simple about trying to live independently to provide your own needs.

This, however, is the ultimate goal of most everyone involved in the "movement"—to live independently at some level. The main goal of independence is to provide your own food without depending on the chemically processed offerings we have grown accustomed to .

OFF-GRID usually refers to being without an electric and water company for whom you are dependent upon their services.

"Off-grid" is being used by those who are looking to "disappear" from the reaches of government intrusion, but it is also being used by those who take the simple thought of not having either electric or water service provided by a company.

Interestingly, though, many "off-gridders" post on social media by means of their cell phone. This is one of the confusions encountered with terminology. We know what they mean, but we know it is not completely true.

PERMACULTURE is a contraction of the two words "permanent culture." Permaculture is a design for living that greatly minimizes the amount of work necessary to maintain your independent lifestyle.

Permaculture is a principle that is mainly about your food supply and all that goes into it—water, fertilizer, seed production, etc.

Permaculture gets at the heart of a "no-waste" mentality and eventually provides a low-cost maintenance of life.

COUNTRY LIVING is espoused by those who are looking to move out of the city into a more rural area. This can be done by simply moving to a small town of less than 3k people. Or it can mean moving onto a small acreage somewhere outside the city limits.

The usual goal is to be able to have space between you and your neighbors with an option for raising small livestock like chickens, rabbits or a couple of goats.

It is possible to live in the country and have the comforts of city life like water, gas and electric provided by others. Having these things provided by a company in no way limits the possibility of learning to live more simply by providing your own food and recreation.

HOMESTEADING is the word currently in vogue as the main descriptor for the move to independent living.

Modern homesteading refers to a self-sufficient lifestyle—living on your own with minimum help from others. Essentially, it includes subsistence agriculture, renewable energy sources when possible, preservation of food, zero-waste living, and, depending on your skills, even homeschooling, and craftwork.

For me, this term encompasses everything that is meant by pursuing a simpler lifestyle. However, when you look at the list above you realize it also includes a lot of WORK. There is always something to do, something that needs doing in order to maintain existence.

It should also be apparent that this is not something most people can just "jump into" without much preparation. There is a steep learning curve for any who dare to try homestading.

Fortunately, though, there are a multitude of resources from which you can begin your journey toward self-sufficiency.

I hope that I may be one of those resources for you as I document our foray into homesteading in this blog.

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