Slowing Down

8 years ago this summer, I sold out of the system.  Sold the house.  Quit the job.  Cashed in the pension.  Found and bought 80 acres of isolation in northern Minnesota.  Swamp county is what it is.  The kind of land that isn't going to be encroached on any time in the near future.  Or ever.  Hopefully.  The kind of land where you don't get weekend visitors unless they mistake your woods road for a 4 wheeler trail.  The "Dead End" at the minimum maintenance road between the driveway and the real hiway pretty much resolved the latter problem.  There are times when I debate taking down that blasted sign when I'm about 2 miles in on snow shoes and wishing the crotch deep snow was at least somewhat settled.  Snowmobiles are good for that, at least.  But once the gear is unpacked, the silence makes it all worth while.

The intent was to make a living out there in the sticks, as well.  Training for wildland firefighting completed, however, I wasn't able to pin down an organization to work for.  Even with money pouring out of the federal and state governments like it was, and is, being paid to work hard out in the wild places isn't a simple proposition.  Funds for work like that are the first to dry up, it would seem.  I keep hoping something will work out there, but it's been a long time.  Life has a way of moving on with or without you.  Lately, keeping up just hasn't made it onto the bucket list.

I haven't been out of the system completely between then and now, but I made that decision 8 years ago, I believe it was the right one, and I'm working back toward the ideal.  Luckily, falling behind can often be just as good as arriving.  You get to see things.