Don't Worry, Be Happy

I’m not an isolationist. I do desire companionship. However, living off the grid, more than I have at any time in my life, my life here in Southwestern North Dakota is pretty darn perfect. I am 2 ½ miles from the nearest neighbor. I must use the tractor to clear snow drifts so that I can drive out in my jeep or the 4-wheeler.

Often, it is below zero and I stay in the house for days. I am totally self-sufficient and could go several weeks without any need from the outside, maybe more. I go to “town” about once per week and town is Dickinson, 35 miles away.> I live out here alone with my dog. There is no fear. I have guns. I have food. I have a generator.

I have tractors. I have freedom from civilization. I have plenty of space for visitors to stay. I have plenty of wild game. I have silence. I have freedom. My dad calls me every day. My Uncle Bud, dad’s brother, calls me every week. I hear from my daughters fairly regularly. I have cable TV, cell phone, internet, electricity, and propane heat. I have everything I need to live… and nothing more… which is freedom.

Some people call this sort of living Extremist. I disagree. I think this is the way life was supposed to be lived. Am I not living the American dream (21^st century taken into consideration)? Without the “noise” of civilization, not even an airplane overhead, one can surely come in to an understanding of the true self. And, I’ve realized that I like who I am and I am not in a hurry to change who I am. I just need to find someone else who accepts me as who I am, because I will never be comfortable with crowds, cities, and noise. I was born for this.