Learn Something New

Many of the old ways have been forgotten by my generation. Things like canning fruit, keeping bees, drying fruit for fruit leather, and fixing things yourself. We have outsourced to the nines to the extent that we no longer know the old ways. As things get more expensive, this is not possible to maintain for everything.

It's hard work to do things yourself, and everyone is busy these days with long lists to do daily, which is why we tend to pay someone else do it for us.

With that in mind and because of choice, not necessity, (yet), I want to learn at least 1-2 new big things this year. I plan on starting with a very simple garden - maybe cucumbers and tomatoes to start, maybe some herbs. Hopefully next year will be even better, but for now that's the goal.

There's a multitude of things we can do for ourselves - and some that we cannot, or at least don't currently do ourselves. In striving for that simple life, I think the balance of choice or necessity really comes into play. We either learn to do things by choice, (we want to), or by necessity, (we have to).

I have learned, that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.
Henry David Thoreau