Many years ago, my husband "drank some tea" about some Inca Calendar prophesying a massive breakdown in society. And I am absolutely certain there is more to it than that. And it probably even makes a lot more sense. Back in 1999 when the world was about to transition into a new millennium it made total sense that the computer systems may not be able to roll over. Well, it made sense to us at the time. Enough to have fun listening to a song by Prince.
Anyway, my husband was so convinced of this possibility he began to store bags of rice in our pantry. I have never really liked rice. It is sticky or clumpy or still a bit crunchy. It just adds extra calories and makes you feel full faster. So, we were supposed to live off of the bags and bags of this stuff we were storing for the Inca ruin of our world? Heaven sounded much better.
Eventually I snuck the bags of rice out of the house a bit at a time the way I sneak bags of retail clothes into my house a bit at a time to hang in my closet. Life returned to normal with only my usual stored dried beans and pasta in jars for rainy day needs. But the talk of living off the grid remained and kind of stuck around with me as well as my husband.
Living in a world occasionally ridden with hurricanes helps to see the clear picture of needing to be able to sustain life off the grid or at least with a handy generator. I have lived the grueling days with no electricity, but when you really get down to looking into life off the grid there is a lot more to it. We take for granted fresh water, cool air, an abundance of fresh food, and things like soap and candles at our disposal.
A relative who lived in Africa for some time with her husband and son had a terrific adjustment moving back into the states. Where there was maybe one source of shampoo in Africa if she was lucky, there was a whole long section dedicated to it in the grocery in America. Could we as a society really live off the grid?
How fast would our stockpile of resources dwindle away if we had to live completely off the grid? Would our lives be healthier? Would our cholesterol be lower? Would we be happier? I guess it all depends. I am not very happy when I am hot and craving an episode of Frazier to cap off my evening with an ice-cold beer or a cup of hot tea. I am not happy when I can't soak in a huge garden tub with Epsom salt to ease my achy joints and tired muscles after working in the yard in an attempt to create some type of off the grid supports.
I think it all sounds very romantic. Dinner by candlelight and nothing but the sound of crickets, frogs and visiting mockingbirds to serenade our evenings. A hot meal over a fire of some fresh caught fish and fresh sliced tomatoes from the garden.
But the fire had to be made by the firewood that would have to be cut and dried out and stored. And the fire would have to be started by a limited number of matches. And the fish would have to hopefully be caught on a day when they might not be biting. The serenade of insects would be shared with the buzz of invasive mosquitoes and jumping fleas. And there would be no Frazier after a hot bath, but instead a cold rag to wash off the dirt mixed in with the sweat.
All I can say is: Society better keep it together! I will buy the gravity working water purifier in the event we have to "go there." I will prepare minimally and do my best. But I will eventually have to live some form of life with some type of coffee pot and griddle.
