Something that I have found interesting since I started writing vsvevg, is that some people think what Felipe and I are doing is exceptional– living in the middle of nowhere with so little income, self-sustainability as our mainspring. This is curious to me, because I don’t see it that way.

Felipe has done some pretty incredible things; digging a well by hand, planting all of our crops manually with a pokey stick, but what I do is quite mundane. That’s kind of the point really; I sought out a simple life. I cook, clean, read, write, go for a walk, pull some weeds, and ride my horse.

In my mind, what makes our life here exceptional is that we are able to act on our principles with greater frequency than we were in the US. We buy Mexican, as close to home as is available, we grow our own food as much as possible, and we produce a fraction of the garbage that we did when we lived in the States. And, after several years of being removed from the infinite choices and the constant sales pitch of US culture, I no longer have a desire for things that are not important, such as the latest model of cell phone, or fashionably-cut jeans.

When I do something that sounds remarkable, like digging mud from a bucket until my fingers bleed to assist in cleaning our well, it is because there is no choice. I am grateful to have been put in that position, because I learned strength and the vast power of acceptance. But I don’t see it as exceptional, because I felt there was no other option.

Perhaps my ability to relate these things in an inspiring way is exceptional, or maybe, it is a flaw in my writing skills, and somehow I have portrayed our lives as more sensational than they are.

I write from my heart, about my own truth. It is not my wish to make anyone believe we are amazing. It is my intent to show that anything can be done, that having less can be a blessing, and that life is a thrilling story that unfolds before us with all the wonders of a great epic.

It is each of ours for the telling.