The Simple Life

There are times that I pine for a simpler life, dear reader. No doubt you've done the same. Many of us have. We most of us live in a fast-paced world, with technology that allows us to be tracked, contacted and intruded upon at will. We live in a society that would seem to require us to have jobs to pay bills. We live with obligations, with figurative chains that tether us to a particular existence that may only be a phantom of real freedom.

When many of us ponder the aforementioned state of things, it often leads to the repeated "If I won the lottery" meme. We talk about quitting work, traveling the world, etc. etc. The dreams of leading a truly free, non-stressful life fly hard and fast throughout such conversations, only to be dashed by the return of reality. So it goes. But what if we could change our lives to where we really were more free, less haggard, and more tranquil overall?

Whenever I get semi-serious about 'getting away from it all,' the notion of Ashley & I living in a Tumbleweed Tiny House always comes to mind. They're small. Very small. Two people would have to really love each other to live in one of these abodes together. Pets would be kept to a minimum. If one likes to read, an e-reader would be a more practical solution, as bookshelf space would be at a premium. And the purchase of a plat of land would no doubt be required, for the house to rest upon.

Speaking of land, it would have to be fertile. If one is to give up the stresses and obligations of working a full-time job, then money would be scarce. How would one afford food? Probably the best solution would be to grow it, therefore some Farming for Dummies  research might not be a bad idea. As income would be nil, then luxuries such as the internet would go bye-bye. Already, I'm realizing that detaching oneself from the rat race, and living the simple life, isn't exactly everything I could want and more.

Finally, the real blow to the dream comes in the form of healthcare. What would we do, with our isolated, free existence, when one of us becomes ill? What if surgery and a hospital stay were required? Chemotherapy? Prescription drugs? How would we afford such things? If we're truly divorcing ourselves from society, it doesn't seem moral to then impose upon it whenever our bodies may need assistance.

So you see, dear reader, it always comes to this: I need and enjoy too many of what our imperfect, often frustrating society has to offer, to simply kiss it goodbye in a defiant wave of self-sufficient, simplified living. The fact of the matter is, humanity has created a civilization that is, yes, overly-complicated and not always fair, but remains pretty darn useful and productive. To leave it behind would, it seems, be folly.

Then again, there's always the lottery.