Out in the fresh air everyday, getting paid for a hard workout instead of paying big bucks to workout in a gym or health club.
There is not the lure of "fast food" at every bend of the trail. You stock the basics and make your own comfort foods. Chocolate bars, chips and pop are expensive treats to be used on special occasions.
There is lots of quiet time so that you can hear yourself think. You can relax enough to read a book. You can spend an hour watching Dollie Varden spawn. Or watch a Bull Moose pass you in the trees. You work hard because you are your own boss. Your time is your own. The nature things you see will stay with you forever.
Lots of people nowadays love to shop for that great bargain in the store. They just don't realize they are fulfilling the age old "hunter/gatherer" instinct. Out in the wilderness you get that free when you find that special mushroom, that huge bush of blueberries, that strange burl, see that little owl, hear that wolf pack, watch that moose. It is more rewarding, you don't need your Visa card. There are no bills each month for stuff you really don't need.
The only requirement is the need to be very self reliant and willing to do without at times. We are not on the grid except for satellite. Otherwise we rely on everything ourselves.
Well said, we really do rely on what we can buy , not what we can find or barter for or what we could hunt or catch .Its all about money :)
ReplyDeleteThink that is your most eloquent post ever.
ReplyDeletePatrick
Only one little phrase the answers this .. i like you way to think, i think it the essentiel only ... what it better to that .
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderfull merry Christmass... we will thing to you . be safe
Stefane ..
Typical moose... not showing himself for pictures. haha
ReplyDeleteNow as for your post; that's an interesting take! I must say I never really put the bargain hunter in the same category as the hunter/gatherer. However... they do seem interconnected don't they!
Most people who live in the "urban life" wouldn't even see the connection.
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts.
Mark
A brilliant post. People move too fast these days - and it is hugely important to take time to appreciate what really matters. This is one of the main reasons I follow your blog - you both understand nature, and are a part of it in a way that the vast majority simply are not. Thank you for your words. Alex.
ReplyDeleteWonderful philosophy! I think we all wish you a happy, healthy, Merry Christmas as well!
ReplyDeleteWonderful thought provoking post. More need to take this to the soul and think about it.
ReplyDeleteThe culture of "having more than the Jones" or "keeping up with the Jones" is still the main driving force today. Even in today's very shaky, unemployed world, there are those who still have to "have" something, even when they are broke.
I am so very glad of my Amish grandfather's teachings of being happy with what you have, and making do or make it if you need it. Bartering and trading is the best.
What a view you have, you are truly blessed.
Have a wonderful, Merry Christmas and upcoming New Year.
Cheers
That's my dad, you haven't changed but I must say your happier than ever up there, I miss you
ReplyDeleteThese photos reminded me of a great novel you might enjoy call "Ordinary Wolves" by Seth Kanter. It's about a guy who grows up in the bush in Alaska, more or less like a native person but lives (or attempts) to live the traditional way as technology erodes the traditional lifestyle.
ReplyDelete