When we made the decision to move to Salt Spring, it was with fear, stress and worry. We made the choice because we knew that it was the time to make a change in our life, or continue down a negative path.
We were at rock bottom. Our stress was overwhelming. We felt like we didn’t fit in where we were living. We were utterly unhappy with our life, and this was was seeping into everything we did. It was fight or give up at this point in time, and we chose to fight!
It wasn’t easy trying to rebuild our life. it has taken us years, brick by brick, day by day. We spent time having difficult discussions about what our true priorities were, and what we truly wanted out of life.
Frequently over the past years we have been pulled back into bad habits. Some months, we started to forget the reason we did this and our priorities shifted, but we always corrected our behaviour and got “back on track”
Our life, as it is today, is not just a fun dabble into farming and poultry, with long walks on the beach and tuesday lunch dates, it is something we have worked hard for, and continue to apply daily effort to maintain.
Hobbies are fun. Gardening as a hobby can be relaxing and fulfilling, but hobbies are often a break from reality vs a full time gig. All the stuff we have in our LIFE is our lifestyle, not our hobby. In fact, if ANYTHING was a hobby, it would be our careers.
And I think THAT is the thing to take notice of and the biggest thing that has affected our way of life. We fight tooth and nail each day to hold on to our LIFE. To maintain our balance, and our priorities, and our priorities are time as a family, and building a sustainable life.
We decline “work” more than we accept it these days. We choose to only do “jobs” that fulfill us. We spend hours each day working on our property, maintaining our flock and garden and enjoying life. We sit outside and eat lunch. We take breaks. We make our own deadlines. This is our choice, and we are not suffering because of it.
This was not luck or fortune that created this life. We are not wealthy beyond measure nor do we live beyond our means. We CHOSE to build a life we wanted, and each day we maintain that life.
We sacrificed, and still do sacrifice all sorts of things that would seem “important’ to others. We make choices every day that continue to define our lifestyle. We spend money on rain tanks, and seedlings, baby chicks and fencing instead of fancy shoes and new furniture.
It is our life, our way.