Back to Basic Living

When we decided to get back to basic living and move to our homestead, it came with an agreement that we would work toward becoming self-sufficient and self-reliant. We knew this was a big order, and we were willing to take baby steps and be happy for the progress we made, even if it was slower than we wished.

We knew and had practiced some of the skills required before we got here. We had been growing gardens and canning for over 20 years. And, although I had become a little lazy at it, I had been cooking from scratch for at least that long. Bernie knew how to work on vehicles, do home repairs, and work with wood.

Within short order, Bernie learned to saw lumber, build shelters, keep firewood stocked, and fix things he never even considered working on in the past. I learned to make butter, yogurt, cheese, soap, lip balm, perfumes, etc. We got a flock of chickens and I learned how to raise them and doctor them. I’ve always enjoyed being somewhat crafty, and I began to make the vast majority of gifts by hand.

In short, we try to identify those things that we enjoy or that make our lives more comfortable – and then we learn how to do or make those things on our own. We may not always chose to do them that way, but at least we know how to do them, should we ever be in a situation where that knowledge is needed. A good example of what I’m talking about is making butter. We don’t eat a lot of butter, and I don’t always churn it myself. But I have a churner, and I know how to make butter.

I’ve told you all of that to tell you this: Everyone has his/her limitations. Just because you may want to do something, doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to be good at it. No one knows this better than me.

I have several limitations, but I am going to acknowledge one of them right here and now. I. Can. Not. Sew. I really can’t. I hate it. But it’s the truth.

On September 2nd of this year, Bernie’s youngest daughter, Kimberly, blessed us with a grandson. Baby Jacob is a precious little thing, and in the joy of his arrival, I decided I would sew him a blanket, and a diaper bag for Kimberly. Somehow, in all the excitement, I forgot one minor detail. I can not sew.

I bought the patterns, material, thread, and everything needed for the blanket and diaper bag. I looked at the patterns and thought “How hard can this be? This blanket looks so simple. I’ll start with it.” And within the first two minutes I had messed it up. I tore out all the stitching and started again. Two minutes later, I messed it up. I tore out all the stitching and start over. Two minutes later….. well, you get the idea.

I did finally finish the blanket. And I gave it to the pups. Even they do not like it. I did an absolutely horrible job on that simple, little blanket. So I went on-line and I ordered one. I also ordered a diaper bag. I worked around that little problem.

I know if things got so bad that we could not afford to buy clothing, I could sew something we could wear. It may have one sleeve longer than the other, one leg shorter than the other, buttons that don’t match up with button holes, or zippers that don’t zip – but we would have clothing and there would likely be a lot more on our minds at that point than worrying about how we look in our ridiculous clothing.

I guess the point of this whole post is not everyone can do everything – but that doesn’t necessarily mean you shouldn’t try. And that doesn’t mean you can’t be successful at following your dreams.

Follow your dreams. Acknowledge your limitations. And learn to work around them.

And, for heaven’s sake, don’t sign up to sew a baby blanket if you can’t sew.