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“I can imagine that it’s lonesome at your home, I couldn’t stand it”

Claudia, this one is for you because living beyond the broken fence, at a far corner of the earth, is not for everyone.

I felt the desire to write a little bit but the tiredness from another sweaty shallow menopausal night kept me from finding a short, to the point topic. But luckily, not having a paid job, I decide to take it easy today and answer someone’s personal message which offered me an interesting topic.

Just returned from my dad, sister and childhood hometown in the Netherlands, having visited the nearby city to shop specifically and having had more social contacts than I have on a yearly base in Hungary, I know now for sure that I miss out on something essentially. Something that is only to be experienced in my hometown and nowhere else.

I can choose muscatel sage tea, lavender or mint, citronmelisse or sage, and probably a lot more that I don’t know about…

Looking at the far end of our property I notice a thought coming from seeing ‘The Truman Show’: ‘What if I walk all the way over there and find out it is a stage?’ I don’t walk over there to check it because I know very well that I live in a bubble and even going much further than our property is a bubble.

The thing is, we all live in a bubble: the very world shaped by how we see and experience. What for one is scary and abnormal is giving calm and sense to another.

To be surrounded by nature without much distractions feels like a health resort and to eat only food sown by our hands is more than a health spa offers. Though at times the oddness of seclusion and absence of humans does exist. The monotory can be rather funny. This, despite missing one essential part, can be seen as a sort of forfeit. Every medallion has two sides: as it was so when I entered with a backpack into ‘very dangerous’ countries, sleeping in war torn hotels. And cycled through places where women do not cycle. And when I lived a most basic life among the descendants of Alexander the Great. And, indeed, when I married. All choices which I would do in an istant again and again, with a full heart.

For two years I was on the look out for a low comfi chair. Not from Ikea but from the Garbage. I saw plenty but never was I able to fetch it. Now, Geo was and he gifted me with a self revamped beauty.

Living away from society comes with a cost, and I happily pay for the silence, the solitude, the seclusion, the normality, the connectedness with nature; all so much advocated in Dutch bookstores. All of which is only logic following the road I travel(ed). And this seems to be my detailed answer to a reply – talking about filling the social gap.

Asking a question that comes from a Krishnamurti book: ‘On what do I depend? What gives me energy?’ Or ‘What is your fundamental lasting interest in life?’, for me it certainly isn’t city life and it’s manuals filled with ‘how to’s’.

I feel blessed. And off to my garden I go (talking excessively, according Geo, to the 3 kittens while working the soil).

Thank you Claudia from Germany for sending me onions to grow, the harvest is bountiful!

By Cindy

Years of traveling brought me many different insights, philosophies and countries I needed to be (over 90 in total). I lived in Pakistan, went over 15 times to India and when I stopped cycling the world, that was after 50.000 kilometer through 45 countries, I met Geo. Together we now try to be more self-sustainable, grow our own food and live off-grid. I now juggle with the logistics of being an old-fashioned housewife, cook and creative artist loving the outdoors. The pouches I create are for sale on www.cindyneedleart.com

10 replies on ““I can imagine that it’s lonesome at your home, I couldn’t stand it””

I think the joy of the modern age though is you can have your solitude and still be connected – a blog post here, a phone call there. Worse comes to worse a train or a plane to civilisation. I think your way is the best way Cindy. I envy your solitude!

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Yes, that is true, Anna. I appreciate your thoughts, as yesterday I was thinking: would I want to be without internet? And the answer is NO. I can easily do without a car (though Geo bringing me to the airport is super convenient) but my contacts with the world are mostly by wifi. Although that is not the best, it is the price.

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‘The more you know, the less you need’ this can be applied to almost every aspect of your life. The more you know how to be alone, the less real social contact you need. Still, we are social beings and real physical social contact is essential to us. Luckily pets do a great job in providing in our social needs.

Beautiful pictures, really enjoyed seeing your bubble.

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Thank you Marita. I could sense a big difference since I came back from the Netherlands where in the village I spend most of my life, I could feel a sense of belonging, a feeling of acknowledgement and no need to explain myself. I was a Dutch among Dutch and everything was so easy and flowing.

I know that every choice has something else offering and that’s why we are here.

Nice to read your compliment 😊

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A place where you feel you belong, that’s wonderful to have. To know that place exists.

I don’t have such a place, I’ve moved around ever since I was a two year old.

The place that allows you to be the best you that you can be. That’s a good place to stay. I think and hope you you’ve found that ☺️

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It’s not exactly that, I don’t feel I belong there necessarily but more the feeling that the interaction with the people who live there for long and family and my family friends gives me.

I would not want to live in such crowded countries with abnormal tendencies in society (though the people I know and come in touch with agree too).

Ah, your parents were moving, and, or traveling a lot? Or is it because your parents were sailors? As I’d seen a post of your dad in a ship recently? That was a very beautiful portrait by the way.

I don’t think that this place we are now allows me to be the best that I can be. I wonder if such a place exist? I didn’t think about this subject but perhaps the best we can be is constantly in movement, depending on factors of inner growth, menopause, husband, weather, society, socializing, travel, etc. I am very content here but I feel too strong a tendency to excessive gardening (baking bread, cooking) 😅 and a missing of a tiny bit more variety, as I am so bound to my garden. Though I try to go out into the woods once a week/two weeks. It always works wonders!

In short, I think every choice we make has another side. Here it is less socializing in general which I highly enjoyed in the Netherlands (maybe only because I lack it here?)

I love the quietness here.
The natural.
The bubble.
The cats.
The absence of nonsense.
The normality.
The nature.
The garden.

I do miss water a bit, your source of energy.

See, perhaps I should find myself a stream this weekend?

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Yes, my dad used to be a sailor – told me stories about the far away countries and had me ever longing to go see more than the Netherlands only. We never traveled abroad ad we were bounded by the speed of our boat and a 4 week round trip never gets you very far.

We always lived on land though, but just moved houses a lot.

Yeah, if you could find yourself a stream nearby. That would be lovely!

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We are also picking raspberries, strawberries, gooseberries and black currants from our (tiny) Irish yard. The birds get plenty of them too. It was nice to see the bounty of these fruits in your bowl. It made me feel like we are almost neighbors!

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It probably would be nice to have you as a neighbor, a grower too, as our current one, is a hunter doing Africa hunts 😩😫 but they are super quiet, which we greatly appreciate.

Yes, black currant are my first time ever and I love them very much. Gooseberries… are that with these whitish stripes going over the fruit, a bit see through skin, light of color and round? We got them too, have to check them tomorrow.

I’m surprised to hear that Ireland has summers warm enough to grow fruit, but that must be my ignorance. I’ve never been there.

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Don't just stop here, I appreciate your thoughts too : )

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