The DL on OG
So… as it turns out building a healing space for people to be in and with nature has been the most potent time full of challenges asking me to confront all sides and angles of my own healing evolution. Moving out of the noise of city life and on to this quiet and expansive land has been an invitation to learn, build, grow, and heighten our awareness in every aspect of how we live, survive, and thrive. We have explored new depths of our relationships and personal responsibilities to care for this land, each-other, and ourselves as a part of nature inter-connectedly. Disconnecting from “the grid” has strengthened our sensitivity to the energy within us and all around us, and allowed us to feel these internal, external, and interrelated forces in a raw and powerful way where we are asked to embrace our own darkness, lightness, and everything in between.
That’s my metaphysical analysis, but I’ll start at the beginning with the physical details and FAQs.
In January we left the city to follow our off-grid living and building dreams in the enchanted lands of New Mexico. My little pink toolbox and I had no idea what we had coming, and winter at 7000ft above sea level certainly gave us a run for our money. We quickly entered the biggest learning curve of our lives (three weeks before getting married… yes, we are that crazy). Temperatures dropped into the negatives, our hot water heater exploded, old shitty pipes under the house started leaking, and we quickly learned the gravity of our relationship with and necessity for water. Our solar panels got covered with snow and the sun didn’t come out for a couple of days so we learned the limits of our solar system, which did allow us to rapidly shift our sleep schedules to the rhythm of nature while we navigated the literal darkness of this time without power or water. We’ve had questionable gas heaters turned off for inspection, inability to drive our city cars (i.e. my two wheel drive “fake jeep for barbies”) on the muddy road, and one time our fiber-optic internet (the least off-grid thing out here) shut off because I forgot to pay the bill. Pretty much all of our creature comforts and the aspects of life we took completely for granted in the city have been challenged pushing us into a pace of accelerated learning and doing shit ourselves like we have never experienced before. Overall I’d give this whole experience a five star rating for the healing, strength, personal responsibility, and knowledge it has instilled us with. I feel like I’ve been given an unexpected opportunity to come home to my natural, chainsaw wielding self that now knows how to chop wood, pump water, excavate floors, mix concrete, run plumbing, lay tiles, etc (with A LOT of help from our unbelievably generous neighbors and community)… and I’m sure this is just the beginning of this building journey.
Our relationship with our resources and sustainability has deepened exponentially. Our water comes from the rain (which isn’t always prolific in this high desert mountain forest unidentifiable transitional zone) and theoretically from a small well on our property that we are working on connecting to the house (a project requiring extreme levels of patience). We recently increased our water storage capacity from 2500 gallons to 11,000 gallons, and are continuing to learn about conservation practices and cultivating respect & abundance rather than scarcity in our relationship with the element and resource of water. Water filtration is a whole other complex world we are currently exploring. We have learned how to work with and deeply appreciate our energy and electricity from the sun, limit our gas usage (we have a large propane tank connected to the house), cut and dry juniper and pine wood from our property for the winter, and are highly aware of our waste between the septic system (extension of our own digestive system really connecting us with this land on a micro/bacterial level) and having to drive our trash and recycling to the dump twenty minutes away. One of our next, high priority projects is expanding our whole garden, greenhouse, food growing, composting situation, and continuing to be in relationship with the beauty and functionality of our wild land.
Being out here has shifted the way we live, eat, sleep, communicate, and work, and put us face to face with the raw beauty of nature/ourselves when we embrace and hold space for IT ALL in an infinite state of moving, breathing, and evolving inter-connectedly. We are continuing to envision and create a space where we can live and thrive in mindful abundance, and share the magic with friends, family, and a growing community of humans seeking this powerful rhythm of nature, creativity, and connection. We can’t wait to see you here!
