Entering Civilization

(Page 6 of 6)

April/May 1994
 
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I see the concept of self-sufficiency in a slightly different light now. Our fiercely individualistic North American society has created a lot of lonely people. As much as we must learn independence, we must also learn interdependence. In the bush there was too much work for two people, and Jay and I both ended up feeling unappreciated by the other. I no longer see it as possible, or even desirable, to do everything on one's own—individually or as a family. We must work together. Still I continue to bake my own bread and to cook from scratch. I preserve produce for the winter, walk or bike when I can, and try to conserve more than consume.

RELATED CONTENT

One afternoon last spring, as I rode my bike home from the garden, I was chased by massive thunderheads. A fierce wind whipped branches across the road and churned the lake to a chartreuse mood reminiscent of summers past. Then the clouds released themselves in torrents of rain, which bounced off the fading road. In a flash I remembered that in nature, as well as in life, there is always room for the unexpected, and jubilantly I felt myself free and eager to venture on.

THE DOWNSIDE OF INDEPENDENCE
In the bush there was just too much work, and Jay and I both ended up feeling unappreciated.

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