QUIET, PEACEFUL, & REWARDING
It's late, and I got up early. It's been a long day.
If you asked me how I was doing, and if I answered honestly, I'd tell you that I am dog tired, exhausted, and on the verge of being overwhelmed. Yes, life is what you make it, but the investment you've got to make up front to bless those around you and to get a real ROI can be a lot. It's worth it, but it takes a lot of hard work, day after day, just to have the hope that it'll work out.
THE MOMENT IT HITS YOU
I had a moment earlier, just a few moments ago actually. Too many days I probably don't sleep enough and I try to accomplish too much. Before bed I still had to milk our doe goat Daisy again and feed "Of" and "The" our two little bottle baby bucklings. Here's a GIF of one.
You may be wondering how we wound up with baby goats named things like "Of" and "The," but that's another story for another day, and yes, it is a good story. Anyway, a tired @papa-pepper who's worked hard for a very long time today and felt like taking a nap about noon and then felt like heading to bed at about seven pm after dinner, headed down to the land to milk Daisy, bringing along Pinkie-Pepper and Red-Pepper to help.
Yup, that's Pinkie-Pepper and Red-Pepper there. So, I've got a couple helpers and some work to do. The night air is warm and sweet and the sky is clear. Soon, I'm sitting on a chair milking our doe.
At some point, I looked up into the beautiful starry night sky and it hit me. It hit me hard. I'm living the life, I'm not just trying to make a living. Our dreams are coming true right before our eyes. We are so incredibly blessed right now I can't help but praise God for all that He's allowed to happen in our lives. Please let me break it down for you to help you grasp this more fully.
First off, we moved south to have milder winters to deal with. Right now it is just above freezing up in Wisconsin where we are from and at the moment I can walk outside here to enjoy a mild breeze in the 60 degree weather! Not bad for a February evening. Then, when I look up, there is a ton of stars. It's the same sky that I could look at from in the city, but the view is a whole lot different.
When you add in the fact that we were on our own land too, it gets all the more incredible. This is not rented property or property that we "bought" by having some bank pay for it and having to pay them back plus a lot extra before it would finally be ours. We hold the deed to this property and we paid cash to buy it. Plus, I'm down on this land with two of my daughters who are both willing and able to help me in a situation like this! They don't complain or roll their eyes, they just help and enjoy it. I know that many people have been tricked into thinking that children are a curse and it's good to not have any, but we are not of that mindset. We love all five of our @little-peppers and are so blessed by all of the love, joy, and help that they provide us!
Now to bring things back to the task at hand, milking our goat. We paid no money for this goat. Actually, we traded some pigs for some goats and those pigs were purchased with SBD that we cashed out. We hoped that one day she could be a milk goat when we got her three months ago, but what we didn't realize is that she had been bred two months before we picked her up!
It was an unexpected blessing to have her give birth to King so soon after getting her. We thought that we'd have to find a mate for her, get her pregnant, and then wait five months before something like this happened. Instead, we've already got a goat to milk plus a bonus kid on the homestead. Now, having bottle baby goats to raise is all the easier, since we have our own milk goat on hand.
Anyways, life can be tough and work is often hard work. Sleep can be hard to come by and some days it just never ends. However, when you have a vision for the future and tangible goals, it's great to be heading in a direction that you love. If you've read my words here and seen the photos, you know how blessed I feel at this moment. This is where you come in.
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
What's your dream? What do you consider freedom? What do you hope to accomplish in this life? Do you have a plan? I'd say that you get one chance at life down here and if you know what you hope to get out of it, it'll be much better for you. Are you on the path that leads you to the destination of your dreams? If not, do you have an exit strategy to get there? Trust me, we've put in a to of effort and gave up a lot to get where we are, but it's all worth it. Now is your chance, go for it!
Until next time…
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These were quite inspiring words. My friends and I are just longing for what you are living: close to Nature, owner of your own world, freedom... I have felt the same for years, since I slammed the door of my job, researching chemical shit for a large corporation, and went indie (music prod and teaching).
I am dreaming to buy a home, but refuse to enter the bank system and take a loan... never, ever, will I put my freedom into the hand of others.
My dream home (where I live, and want to live: minimum 1 Million dollars for a moderately sized one and a little land for gardening) is really far from my reach yet... Today, I rent a home and a piece of land for gardening. I am actually fine that way, but might not be able to be as active as I am today in a couple of decades or if health issues comes in the way ...
I manage quite well compared to the poor souls embrigaded into today's societal prison, yet, 1 Million, shit! Houses are so expensive, how can I ever earn this sum? Then, I discovered Steemit, then Crypto... Now I know there is some hope, even if it is small, it is there. I was a little late for the train (oct 2017), yet, it can still go exponantial for a little more... and that really gave me another boost, and reactivated the dream.
Yes, when you had your moment earlier on, you felt blessed.
Well man... You are! Enjoy!
I have a garden. They are the best.
Those moments are precious, and pure. Thank you for sharing it with us. It has been a magical day for me as well. Steemit has given me reason to hope again. I read so many of the posts here and am in awe. There are many kind, beautiful, caring souls here who understand that all boats float best at high tide. Peace to you and yours...
very nice comment @seaslim!!! You are awesome!!!
Great. I am glad you can be given some hope over dope, some joy over circumstances, some delicious oatmeal for your soul, through the help of Steem. And life is magical for sure like you said. I'm Oatmeal Joey and I eat oatmeal and I love to sing and meet new people. I love farms.
Nice to meet you, Joey! I'm Melissa, and I like toast, yeah toast. Hat's off to you if you catch that reference. You are very upbeat and groovy, I like your style. What's your favorite flavor oatmeal, or are you are puritan? Personally, I'll only eat the maple and brown sugar kind (organic) with a side of...toast. ;)
Haha, you are funny and cool and toast is great with egg. I love toast and egg too. I can be a puritan with oatmeal if I want but I prefer more so to go with anything and everything, like fruits, honey, molasses.... and you are thinking of the oatmeal packs but I am thinking of old fashion oats... I want to add my own flavors to it.
Oh I love that! "All boats float best at high tide" I've never heard it before :)
I loved it, too when I first heard it. Steemit is the first place I've seen it in action. :)
Pure indeed. Real, raw and beautiful. Thanks!
Awesome inspiring post. Slow and steady. A lot of my dreams have come true - I own my own business and work full time as an artist. Being an Artrepreneur isn't always easy, not knowing where my next dollar will come from, or if it will come in time to pay bills lol Steemit so far has been a HUGE blessing. This month I did my first cash out, and it allowed me to make ends meet. Stoked to be connecting with so many other passionate, dedicated people on here who are making things happen and sharing their experience, strength and hope. :)
Agreed, it can be tough for workers, especially for employers like you: for me, being a freelance American English Teacher in Vietnam for five years was tough too but rewarding. I draw a little and have heard artists struggle at times. In the long run, it is worth the investment. no pain, no gain. I'm Oatmeal Joey and I like to say No Oatmeal, No Joey. Haha.
When other social media sites were actually showing posts to followers things were booming and I had a hard time keeping things in stock. Ups and downs, thankfully I know other artists who dealt with the same thing when MySpace become obsolete, so I pared down my lifestyle and hung in there. So far in 2018 things seem to be moving in the right direction again :)
good
Glad to hear it helped make ends meet!
I really look up to you , for staying humble and being grateful on the life you have right now , i was hit on your questions at the end of your blog, do i have a plan? yes i have lot's of plan in mind , but i think where i am right now is not theright pathfor me to reach my simple goal, me and my little family is living now in the city , in Manila, Philippines where everything is paid , if you have no money in this place you'll surelydie , but we have to stay since my partner's work is here, but the real dream was to live there back in my home town a rural area , where we can plant anything we can eat , take care of animals , and the breathe of fresh air , i was moved on how you say you gave up a lot to have the life you have right now ,salute to you and the whole family 👏👍
by the way , i'll be waiting about the story of how you came up with the "of" and "the" name ❤️❤️❤️
And i can definitely relate on the sleepless nights
Stay awesome @papa-pepper, been always a fan since i started here
@papa-pepper is a good blogger. We have 2 things in common chili's... and blogging. :)
I wish he curated more, but I'm no longer on his list of visits unfortunately. I had 2 major posts.. out of the ordinary about cryptocurrency and media and sadly he may never see either of them.
I just hopes one day in his spare time he looks around steem and starts curating again. I miss his purple pepper (is it red) logo on so many blog posts when he use to curate content in the old days. Now I don't see him anymore. :(
He doesn't give a shit about nobody but himself.. Ask @snowpea's husband.. Kevin actually pushed one of their kids to the ground!!! We used to be best friends and he hasn't called me in a year.
https://steemit.com/awareness/@noganoo/just-who-is-papa-pepper-is-he-really-who-he-claims-to-be
He's making money. He has huge reputation. He has followers. Most of the time he makes good blog posts. ...and he has no need to re-assess himself as long as he's getting paid now. That what happens to most people when they hit celebrity status..
I understand it, I just make it a point to never do that.
To qualify what I'm saying.. long ago I wrote him an email about chilli's and peppers... it was a 2 page email on how much I enjoy hot spice.
My response: Nothing. :(
...and what you can expect, tomorrow another new blog post.. and he won't even see these comments or dialog.
Dude I am so sorry to hear that! I've known him for 15 years.. money has changed him back into his old self.. You can talk to me about peppers tho! I have 600 varieties now and just built a new growbox! 6 levels, 500 watts. I started planting 2 days ago, some should start appearing in the next week. My favorite flavor pepper is Uba Tuba.. it tastes like apples and looks like a flying saucer!!
I'm sorry that you feel that way about me. I do try to reply to many of my comments, support many of those who support me, and interact with others. Truth be told, I rarely, rarely check my email. I never really have, it's not one of my primary means of communication, so I never saw your email.
It's kind of like calling someone when they are not home, you get no response. I'm not trying to be a celebrity I'm just doing the same stuff I've always done they same way I've always been doing it. If people like what I do, they can support it, if not, no one has to.
I care deeply about you Noganoo and I have for years. That's why I even called you every day when I moved to Arkansas to check on you and encourage you to be sober. Then, when you told me to never talk to you again, I stopped, but let you know that I would be here for you. It seems you'd rather play the victim and pretend that I am your enemy.
While I certainly do not support anything that you are doing, that doesn't mean that I don't care about you. You've got my number if you want to talk.
My current voting power is 32.770%. I do not vote for my own posts, which means that I am curating. I try to get around as much as I can on a daily basis and support many of the steemians I enjoy. Like everyone, there are a lot of steemains that I enjoy and voting power is limited... hence the fact mine is depleted.
Yeah, we all can have many plans. It is important to find clarity, peace, priorities, in the mist of the storms of our lives. And work, farming, fresh air, like you said, helps with that more than we think at times and it helps more often than we know.
You are truly blessed @papa-pepper. And you are indeed an inspiration and a blessing to others too. Your posts are great. I am one of your avid follower. Though i am still new here.
Thank you for sharing...!!
Thank you for that @arashikawaii.
I think what you're doing is wonderful. My dream is to write more novels and have those novels generate a steady flow of income while my husband and I travel in our RV that we're fixing up. I've retired from a 45 year career in dentistry. BTW, The family with the peahens says they are guineas not peahens. But Peahen meat is supposed to be very tasty and the eggs are good. Guineas on the other hand eat ticks from the yard. Maybe peahens do too. I don't know.
Hope you can write and travel more. I grew up in a trailer in Oregon. I write too. And it is cool that you can travel in an RV. Sounds exciting. I love farming and I love eating eggs. I love natural remedies. For toothpaste, I have Bamboo Salt paste which I got from a Japanese store in Vietnam last year. Now, I'm near Seattle.
Thanks for the update. Also, I released a novel, chapter by chapter, on steemit a while ago and I really enjoyed the whole process. Good idea!
Our big dreams are capable of keeping us awake all through the night. Thanks for the motivation @papa-pepper. I'm looking forward to the story of "OF and THE.
Yeah, dreams kept me up at night, and sometimes we can act on them in the moment and sometimes we jut have to vent and write or talk to somebody and wait. But it is the best thing ever when dreams are able to wake us up again to align us to destiny and goals and priorities.
Thank you for letting it encourage you!
Awe @papa-pepper, your words are balm for my over-taxed soul. Those tiny moments of reckoning when you are doing even the simplest tasks that encompass your dream are so very precious. Thank you for giving us a glimpse.
I no longer milk does, but I'll always cherish those moments in the morning and evening when my kids were the age yours currently are and we all worked through our daily goat grind together. Good times😊
I got free bitcoin. @titanik
Glad to hear it gave you a needed boost too! I was overdue and it hit me hard. Couldn't help but rejoice after that and forget about all the rest.
Thanks for sharing i will done upvote I always see your post. And follow you
Mutual 🤗@titanik
im happy for you man. i feel blessed too