Lessons I’ve Learned Living Off The Grid

Lessons I’ve Learned Living Off The Grid was first published on Total Survival

My journey off the grid began back in 2012. In these seven years, I’ve learned several things I’d like to share with you. Now I’ve bounced back and forth between living off and on the grid, but a majority of my time has been spent living off the grid.

Living Off The Grid: Lessons Learned Through Time

There are just some things you can’t learn by reading them out of a book. Of course you can try, but it’s just not the same. If you’ve ever considered spending some time off the grid or taking the leap and living that way you just might want to, read what I’m about to share. There are many positives and negatives to this type of life. But, in my humble opinion, the good outweighs the bad.

Temporary Is Longer Than You Think

When I first journeyed off of the grid, there were many things that were intended to be temporary. I just didn’t realize how long temporary could be! I hauled water by hand in 5-gallon buckets from the spring to our kitchen and sawed all of my cook wood and firewood by hand as well. This was only supposed to last for a few weeks, but weeks turned into months. My muscle mass improved, and I learned to carry the buckets without spilling a drop.

There’s No Time Like The Present

My life on the grid was much different from the one I lived off of the grid. On the grid, I felt as though I always had to worry about tomorrow, and I ended up missing the moments of today. In contrast, off grid, I found myself lost in many moments worth living. I was able to focus more on the now — as well as the future to come.

Don’t Put Off For Tomorrow What You Could Do Today

Sometimes the day was just so beautiful that I wanted to go adventuring through the woods and make nature discoveries. I found myself putting off gathering wood for that day, claiming I would get extra the next. When tomorrow came, storms rolled in, and I was down on wood.

Time Is Of The Essence

There are only so many hours of daylight in one day. When the huckleberries and blueberries are ready for harvesting they are juicy, plump, and sweet. If you don’t take that time to collect them, something else will, or they’ll just drop to the ground and go to waste. What you do with your time off the grid matters in big ways.

Patience

All of this talk of time leads me to learning (and now teaching!) patience. What patience I didn’t gain as a child was finally taught to me off the grid. You have no choice but to be patient when it comes to harvesting food, daylight, rain, etc.. At first it may be hard, but through having no choice, you can learn how to deal with being patient.

Appreciation

I’ve never really been an unappreciative person. However, moving into the woods and off the grid still taught me far more about appreciating the little things than you might imagine. I learned to appreciate what I had, as well as what I didn’t have. I learned to be thankful for everything and anything. Now, when I give my thanks throughout the day, I always remember to be thankful for the troubles and hardships that I don’t have along with any and all of the good I do!

Eco-friendliness

When you live so far into the woods that there is NO trash truck that will do pick-up, you are led to live so much more eco-friendly. There is so much more to being eco-friendly than one might think. I learned that literally every single action made can cause a reaction in more than one way — whether it be good or bad.

Watch this video by Tiny Home Tours of his lessons learned by living off the grid in Alaska:

Not everything in life can be found in a book. These lessons I have learned living off of the grid are ones that have made some of the biggest positive impacts on my very existence. I find myself being more mindful on a much larger scale, doing more with my time, learning as much as I can, and being one with nature in a whole new realm of reality. Plus, my meditation has improved and doing yoga in the forest is amazing!

Living off the grid for me is a way of life almost like a religion I practice. Off-grid living is full of life lessons, and I hope this little bit of insight has you intrigued by the possibilities. Happy learning!!

Have your ever tried living off the grid? Please share your lessons in the comments below!

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