More Land - A Lesson In Contentment

Posted on Thursday, May 15, 2008 at 10:35 AM

I think it is human nature to always want more of a good thing.  Land is no exception.  Most of us that have some want more.  It might be for hunting, agriculture, or just to have more room to breath.  It's the "grass-is-always-greener" mentality.

I have struggled with this from time to time.  I'm happy with my 7.61 acres, but oh if I could only buy that plot next door or that one across the street.  We could have horses or an orchard, etc.  In the end that all takes money, and that's something I'm too cheap to part with easily.  I struggle sometimes seeing people that own hundreds of acres because it makes my place feel so small.

However, I only have to think back about a year to put things into perspective.  When thinking about how much land we wanted or could afford, I can remember feeling very different.  All I wanted in the world was to be able to live in the country.  I didn't care if all I could find was a 2 acre plot as long as I was out away from town.  I wanted enough room to have a house, garden, some chickens, and maybe a goat or two.  We got much more than that.  We got 7.5 acres with so many extras.  I can remember just being so excited when we closed on the place.  After living in a small neighborhood, it felt like I had SOOOO much room.

I also have to remind myself of our goal in homesteading - growing our own food.  If all you're looking to do is provide a substantial portion of your family's food, you don't need all that much space (depending on your family's size).  It's amazing what you can do on this small a farm.  Could I ever quit my job and farm full time on this much?  Probably not.  But given what we set out to do with our land, it has worked out beautifully.  We could feed our family 100% on what we grow here if we had to.  We'd have to do without somethings, but we could do it.

Although I could do more with 100 acres, 7.5 is plenty, and is just small enough for me to properly take care of.  It may not be big, but it's all we need, and I never want to cease being thankful for it.  Will I ever buy more land?  Maybe.  But the important thing is finding contentment with what God has blessed you with.  If I never buy another square foot of land, I can still find contentment here.

turkeys

Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, May 15, 2008 at 9:19 PM - Link

15 turkeys? Mom Woodley

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Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, May 15, 2008 at 10:04 PM - Link

Came in yesterday. We're splitting them with some friends.

Derek

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Posted by beccasue1029 on Friday, May 16, 2008 at 8:58 AM - Link

I know how you feel...we live on just over an acre and oh I wish we had money to buy more! We could do so much more for our family then!

~*Becca*~