“Wherever I sat, there I might live, and the landscape radiated from me accordingly.”
~Henry David Thoreau, from the Where I Lived chapter of Walden
Eleven Reasons You Know You Are Well Suited to Living in a ‘Cabin’ on Your Own in the Woods on an Island
1 You can’t remember what day it is. Every day.
2 You are completely startled by the ring of the old rotary phone and think for a split second that you have been transported to another planet where these things like this probably happen on a regular basis.
3 You dance around in the studio like a fool when your favourite songs play on the mixed cassette tape that was made for you in 1988…knowing not a single human will catch a glimpse.
4 You don’t mind the sounds of the barking of the dog, the bleeting of the goats, the singing of the birds (at 4 AM), the croaking of what seems to be a thousand toads (and by croaking I mean a chorus that would make Metallica seem timid) or the heavy pattering of rain on the metal roof (all night, and most of the day).
5 You are over-the-moon excited just looking at the new/used telescope. One night, when it actually stops raining and you figure out how it works, you may even be able to see stars up close!
6 When every single window looks out into a sea of verdant giants, you wonder if you could name and remember each tree. Then you decide that such grand beings as these require no name, and you wonder to yourself (because there is no one else to wonder it to) “How would we all cope with out names that perhaps pin us to an identity?”.
7 You make space in your brain for thoughts like these.
8 The best conversation you have all day is the one with the wood stove when you discussed together the techniques of log cabin versus tipi style fire starting. That’s not mentioning the words spoken when chopping wood!
9 You miss a party at the community centre because you fell asleep on the couch. You do not think of admonishing yourself for being boring, lame or old. You look around and know that you are just about as lucky as a single person can be. And…you have your own tunes to dance to!
10 You realize “Oh shit, it’s earth hour and I’m not meant to have any lights on for the last hour!” Then: “Oh…I didn’t!”.
11 [because we know that all good things go up to eleven!] You look at the clock on the wall only because it happens to be beside the window.
If you happen to think this working holiday lifestyle sounds ideal, I highly recommend you give it a try. You may discover you are not the city person you thought you were all along…!
*What single thing can you do for yourself each day that transports you to a place of calm & well-being? Take whatever time you can to do just that…I dare you!
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