Summary: Homesteading, in particular, doesn’t work very well as a solitary sport. We need people. We weren’t meant to do it alone. So writes Victoria Gazeley, experienced rural homesteader and blogger for Grit Magazine and Mother Earth News online editions. Posting on her own blog in an article titled: Living Your Dream: Three Strategies for Embracing Fear and Resistance, at modernhomesteading.ca, Victoria writes: Sharing with others, leaning on others and recognizing that you can’t live without others (not very well, anyway) is critical to living a joyful, fulfilled life – especially in a rural area. Our subscribers and regular online community listeners know, that Lynne and I couldn’t agree more, with what Victoria is saying about the importance and the value of community for rural homesteading or small farming self-sufficient, sustainable living. Rural homesteading blossoms in the fertile soil of local community and grows exponentially worldwide through online communities. In this episode we share that in addition to the blessings of our local community, we are also being blessed to be part of a growing online community. Our online community is abundant with many people who aren’t afraid to dream or think too big, and who have the “right stuff”, matched with the wise know-how to turn their dreams into reality. In this episode we share a call-in to our Listener Feedback Line from Emily Josephine, a wife, mother, blogger and podcaster. Emily, her husband Jerry and their small son are not afraid to dream big. Emily and Jerry are great examples of good folks in our listening community, who have the “right stuff”, and who are taking measurable steps of action in faith, to make their dreams of becoming rural mountain homesteaders a reality for them. Listen in to enjoy Emily’s comments and learn more about their dreams and journey back to their rural roots. We are always so pleased to learn of others who have what I like to sometimes refer to as the Field of Dreams…Dream. But more than just learning about other folks having similar back to the land and homesteading or small farming dreams, as pleased as we are to learn about you folks, we really get excited about learning about folks who are taking action to make their dreams a reality like Lynne and I did, and like Tim and Liz Young from Natures Harmony Farm.com did before us. In our episode #25, Lynne and I have had the great pleasure, fun and learning experience to have Tim and Liz Young on as our guests on the Living the Simple Good Life show. During this interview Tim and Liz shared from their inspiring and informative eye opening book The Accidental Farmers: An urban couple, a rural calling and a dream of farming in harmony with nature. I mention Tim Young of Nature’s Harmony Farm because when Tim was on our show in episode 25, Tim talked very passionately about this subject of dreams and Tim addresses the subject of farm and country dreams with a lot of wisdom in his book. Excerpts from the Accidental Farmers from Chapter 10 titled: Downshifting Tim writes: From the endless questions and comments we receive on our farm tours I know that our life farming in the country is a dream that is shared by many. For most it's just a fantasy that they can indulge in by visiting farms like ours or following us online. Then there are others who truly endeavor to pry themselves from their urban cubicles as we did so that they can live off the land and perhaps produce enough food for others to pay the bills. They dream of living in the country but just aren't sure how to get there. For a dream to become reality rather than remaining a wish the dream must morph into a personal vision. Whereas a dream can creep into my self-consciousness on its own, I on the other hand become the architect of a vision. At this point it's really no longer an abstract dream, semantics aside, but a vision that I see for myself. My vision.
