Sometimes I muse about the life we have chosen. It's messy, time consuming and unfinished. I smirk when I think about how ridiculous and impractical it appeared to leave our new build in a residential area. We had a mortgage helper, space for a small garden, fabulous neighbours and were walking distance to a quaint elementary school.
But deep down, we knew it was temporary; a stepping stone to our dream of owning acreage. We found ways to stay content in our home while we nurtured our dream. We didn't want to wait until we had property to have bees and garden and were blessed to find found lovely people who were willing to share their property with us.
We gleaned wherever we could, knocking on doors when we saw fruit trees laden with apples and cherries in people's yards. They were always more than happy to let us pick to our heart's content.
We appreciated experiencing aspects of "the country life" while living in suburbia. We cared for other's chickens, harvested our honey and LOADS of beeswax. I registered my eldest for 4H and she got to patriciate in various local fairs. I guess in some ways it was our way of dipping out toes in the "country life" that neither of us was familiar with.
I have vivid memories of weeding our allotment in town while Nate tended to his bees. I would always have to leave early because the children would get hot or bored or hungry (you know how it goes) but I longed to linger in the sunshine with my hands in the dirt. I longed for the day that bees and vegetables and flowers would only be a few steps from my front door and I could garden to my hearts content while my children played contentedly nearby.
So when an opportunity presented itself, we sold our home and moved to a decrepit house in a rural location with more land than we ever thought we could afford.
Why? Why, well I think it came down to our priorities and what brings us joy. There are so many beautiful ways to love one's life and it is a tremendous privilege to be able to CHOOSE your life instead of having it thrust on you.
This summer I experienced my dream to the fullest. My son built dirt ramps and ran barefoot through sprinklers while I planted scarlet runners, my daughter sat in the grass and read to her bunny while I watered the potatoes and my eldest sat at the picnic table under the cherry tree and sketched while I picked sweet peas. Sometimes they would join me to plant or weed or munch on a raspberry, but most of the time they just relished unhurried time outside while I gardened to my heart's content.
"Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him, and He will do it."
- Psalm 37:4
