Self-Reliance

Several things go into being (relatively) free from dependence, and therefore, interference, from outside influences in your life.

One is the understanding that its neither possible, nor desirable, to be free from everyone and everything. We're humans, we're social creatures and in order to fully live life, we need other people. But the less dependence we have on others, from our government to the local grocery store, the more control we have over our own lives.

Living this way involves a change in our way of thinking, and looking at the world differently. You learn to find happiness in the taste of warm bread with fresh butter and some strawberry jam. There's a sense of satisfaction from sitting down to a meal and knowing you didn't just cook it, you created it. And the taste of food grown, not purchased, is entirely different than the pretty but tasteless alternatives you'll find in chain supermarkets, whose biggest concern is getting large amounts of food to large numbers of people, looking as fresh as is possible.

So those are the bigger philosophies behind moving towards living this way, but the specifics are where it gets fun.

Nothing works well without a plan. Every year, I set goals for the year. And sometimes I even accomplish them! But knowing what you're going to do, how much it will cost, how long it will take, and what the benefits will be will help you be as successful as possible.

I'm going to write this blog about how I came to be where I'm at and how much I have left to do and try to include things I've learned as well as things I'm learning as I go. I'll try to include one educational thing or try- at-home project every day I post.