small modern living blog - homesteading happiness

Homesteading is trending in popular culture - from the set of HGTV, to the streets of urban and rural life, more Millennials and Gen Z’s are trying their hand at the age-old practice. Some credit the feeling of self-reliance, being closer to nature, saving money, and creating generational wealth as motivators for joining the movement.

Homesteading generally refers to having a lifestyle that strives for self-sufficiency. One may grow and preserve their own food, have solar panels, or true die-hards may exist completely off grid. In a society that tends to value status symbols of “success",” these practices tend to go against the status quo in many realms of life.

On the banks of Lake Superior, my mind began to wander to far off places and lands. What if my dreams were made of blueberry bushes, freshwater waves, and purified air? Down the road on the Brownstone Trail, sits the old sanitorium, it’s ancient brownstone brick still claims the overgrown hillside. In the 1800’s, people came to the sanitorium on the shores of Chequamegon Bay as a treatment for Tuberculosis. Now, new settlers are coming due to climate migration. There is something fresh that lingers in the air here, long after the last tide departs.

Our tiny home is a far cry from the skyscrapers that previously adorned my city life. Although I am a homesteading novice, my goal is to continue learning and perfecting it’s practices. Last weekend, the sound of my favorite bluegrass band, The Last Revel, echoed in the butterfly roof of our cabin. Their song, Homestead, played as the sun retreated against the backdrop of the northwoods and shimmering water. “Dream up a life, simple's fine
and get there on your own.” As I inspected each blueberry strand I imagined a life of peace and prosperity, not defined by society, but by the homesteading spirit I have embraced. In the distance, my children laughed as they walked through nature trails with their cousins, eager to explore the gifts of this new day.