Four Year Landiversary

Our lovely little cabin in the big & lovely woods

July 1 of 2022 marks the official start of Empty Mountain and our new life in the woods, off-grid and without running water, which makes today our four year anniversary - or landiversary, if you don’t mind a portmanteau (yep, that’s a real word that no one uses and I just learned it; words that are blended together to make new words are called ‘portmanteau’).

We sold our house in Missoula in September of 2021. After a long search we finally found land we could afford and also met a lot of our basic criteria. We signed the papers and moved onto the property the same day on July 1, 2022. The 24-acres we bought was sans structures or services, but we had purchased a 1989 Chevy G20 conversion van when we sold the house so we’d have something to live in while we looked for land, so we were set with a dwelling place on wheels while we built our cabin. A friend wonderfully lent us a large canvas tent to use for that first summer too, which was immensely helpful. We made super good use of it as our living room area, kitchen, and all-purpose storage/use/everything spot.

Our multi-use canvas tent during our first summer on the land

The first couple of years were hard and involved a lot of stress. The learning curve we were on was just so incredibly steep. We were needing to figure out how to live a completely different way of life using entirely different living systems. It took a while for us to settle in and get less new at what we were doing. All big life transitions take time. But we were choicefully and enthusiastically opting in on starting this new life chapter and land-living endeavor, with the awareness that growth and learning don’t take place inside of one’s comfort zone. So while it was a big task, we were up for it, and also doing it with intentional purpose & heart.

Trading the comforts and conveniences of town for living semi-remotely in the woods off-grid and without running water, took adjusting to. At least for me. I think it was a little easier for Mike. For a while I missed living so close to my friends. I missed Missoula and all the fun stuff that happens there. But it wasn’t the sort of missing that meant anything was wrong or we’d made a mistake. It was the kind that simply meant things were changing. As sad as I was, I knew deep down the sadness was a necessary part of the letting go process required for us to make this big life-change move we’ve long wanted to do. Fear was for sure in the mix for me too. But I’ve long had a practice of putting conscious effort into not letting fear run the show. Thankfully, I knew enough to know that following one’s heart is never easy or simple or without complications.

There’s a common myth I think when it comes to what’s involved when you listen to your intuition or trust your gut or follow your heart, which centers on the mistaken idea that when you finally decide to do whatever it is, it’s all rainbows and happy kittens from then on forward. I’m sure some folks find this to be true, but on the bell curve of humans I reckon there are way more of us that struggle during the transition period, at least at times. And sometimes the struggle is fierce and intense.

Today’s reading from my much loved daily reader: *365 Tao* by Deng Ming-Dao; I often translate the word ‘Tao’ for ‘the Path’

It can take a lot to make life-change moves, whether it’s changing cities or states or moving to a new country, starting a new job, going back to school, having a child, entering into a new romantic relationship or learning a new skill, hobby, interest or language. But there can be a lot of important growth and great rewards that come from such things.

Here’s how I have it worked out: Life is too short and time too precious to live by someone else’s script or mainstream culture’s prescription for what a good life is supposed to look like. There are countless ways to live a well-contented life. And for us, the good life looks like living in the lovely woods and slow-growing Empty Mountain, one small step at a time.

Some of the words I offer to myself and try to live by:
Be creative
Think outside of the box
Don’t compare
Try hard not to care too much about what others think
Listen to your intuition
Follow your heart
Take yourself lovingly with you whenever you go
Use your own intelligence
You already know what to do

Voluntary Simplicity