Guest Post by Hardscrabble Farmer
I spent the first four years of my adult life as an airborne infantryman. Everything I depended upon could be carried on my back. I grew to love the comfort of a pair of clean socks, the simple functionality of a poncho, the taste of water from a canteen. The tools of my trade- rifle, knife, LBE- were always with me, meticulously maintained, reliable and familiar. Later, as a stand up comic, I lived 365 days of the year living out of the trunk of a car. If the gig came with a hotel room, great, if not I camped out in the sunflower fields of Kansas, in abandoned kivas along the rim of the Grand Canyon, on the sand under the stars of a hundred empty beaches. I did that for 15 years and only owned some camping gear, a single suitcase and a the car- a 1988 Thunderbird Turbo-Coupe.
When I met and married my wife we settled into a small farmhouse on the last working farm in my hometown and we began, starting with our first child, to accumulate the trappings of adult life in America. That pursuit- possessions, career, money, status, luxuries- was the biggest mistake we ever made, but we came to our senses and turned our lives back in the direction that has worked out best for us, shedding the things that represented success in exchange for the non-tangibles that brought meaning to our lives.
When we lost the barn in the fire we had built a clean room in the top of the barn to store my mother’s possessions I had inherited after her passing. I had planned on going through them at some point but the fire made that task a moot point. I had also stored all of my paintings, prints, lithographs and drawings I had produced over my lifetime in that same barn. Likewise our aquaculture systesm, equipment, seed stock, feed and hay for the winter, livestock, tractor…
Losing all of those things- the past, the present and the future- in a single day and not caving in to that loss demonstrated to us as a family that what was important in life was each other, our ability to overcome our loss and our attitude about how we moved forward. We began the cleanup before the ashes were cool and have never looked back.
We come into this world filled with all the hope, wonder and awe that life could possibly bestow and we anchor each to the accumulated weight of earthly possessions until they sink from the weight of the load. All we really own in this life is the time we are given and all we ever spend are the precious minutes and hours and days of that treasure.
Another fine piece. Wisdom is a rare commodity.
“We come into this world filled with all the hope, wonder and awe that life could possibly bestow and we anchor each to the accumulated weight of earthly possessions until they sink from the weight of the load. All we really own in this life is the time we are given and all we ever spend are the precious minutes and hours and days of that treasure.”
This, my friend, will go into my “Book of All Knowledge and Quotable Quotes” as one of the best summations of the human condition I’ve ever had the pleasure of coming across.
Yes , some of us have figured out how to buy more time. The power of your thoughts in conquering the matrix.
Farmer. ,Glad you finally found yourself. Still a little heavy on the moonshine but that’s ok.
my reasons for moving and starting a small subsistence existence were many, yet master of my time was high on the list. real wealth quickly became the larder full, hay in the barn, firewood in supply beyound one winter. fires can really challenge your character, not long after i began my home suddenly became 49% gone, the bigger problem as i followed the water damage the house had some structural issues, limited time and budget meant five years. time given to others was the kindest thing i could offer, all the more so when my own place was in a bidding contest for that same time. however, now it is just me and i fondly watch nature slowly return as the animals are no more, large gardens etc. nice to welcome the change, as my efforts are a testament to my time here. if it is possible i like to think i leaving and abandoned eroded piece oi land better than i found it, the wildlife would indicate they it like just fine. always enjoy my hardy northern farmers essays, thanks for your contributions.
Farmer, I guess I’m missing the point here. I really own a lot of shit, which yes can be taken, but so can your time. Life comes with no guarantees! Here’s the wisdom I live by; I may not change the world but I’m gonna leave a scar. Run smart, run hard, you get one trip and one trip only through this maze called life, don’t hold back!!
Great piece HS. I’ve been preaching for years to anyone patient enough to listen that the only truly valuable commodity we posses is our time – it is the only thing we cannot get back.
I often hear people lament at the loss of things and people in their lives – always ignoring the fact that everything in this world is dust – that our time here is the true gift and that without suffering we would not understand joy or happiness – that without loss we would not understand love or abundance. I’ve more or less quit ‘hoping for more’ but rather tend to embrace gratitude for what I have – particularly my time with the people I love but always reminding myself that it is not only my time that is limited but theirs as well. Never take others for granted and be grateful for the time you have with them.
Keep on keep’n on brother…
Yes.
No matter how much money you have, you still only have so much time, and nothing is more frustrating than spending some of that finite amount of time time looking for your keys, wallet, cell phone, etc. And nothing you own is more important than your health, because when your health starts going, holding onto those material possessions becomes a lot less important. However, even more important than your health, is the health of your immediate family.
Best of luck to you, Hardscrabble Farmer.
Thank you for a nice piece of writing
15 years of standup? Wow. That’s a tough (great) gig.
No matter how romantic you think that way of life is,that is a hard life Sounds like you were a bum for 15 years, that chose no responsibility no offence .When you married took on a wife and child, that was responsibility. Was this a choice, or were you not able to function at a job after being an infantry man? Good question.Pass by a homeless shelter, you have to wonder how many stand up comedians sitting on the lawn waiting for the shelter to open.Sorry, they do not look happy.
Anon, are you nuts? Have you ever known any standups? It’s the ultimate one sharp mind against the world, pass/fail exercise. It takes a lot of discipline and a lot of guts. You and your brain and a microphone, singing for your supper. They laugh, or they don’t. Think you have the balls? You can’t even commit to a screen name.
Thanks for sharing, HF. I can relate to your years doing standup since I was essentially doing the same thing on the Radio. I must have worked for about 30 Radio stations in the span of about 20 years. Totally moved my household to one job and it lasted 2 weeks, no notice. What you own is what you can carry in your car, unless that gets repossessed.
HF – Your’ the best. Thank you for those beautiful words.
That’s why I hang out @ TBP right there, nice piece HSF, thank you.
Reflective,peaceful. Good stuff HF.
This article isn’t about STUFF…it’s about freedom to love and create. For instance:
I just watched a show about Earl Spencer, Princess Diana’s brother. After years as a rich kid and many goofs he has settled into a life of love and creativity at his family’s ancestral home. Several years ago it was in such bad shape they couldn’t GIVE it to the National Trust…Althorp it’s called. The heir took it on…a born again restorer and farmer.
It has one of the greatest private art collections anywhere and a beautiful estate, including Diana’s little island. I was so impressed with his growth as a man and devotion to that “pile”…the interviews with the help were revealing. They are a team.
What makes this like our stand up farmer is not things and stuff…but a rebirth of a human being who wants to serve, to cherish family, and to leave behind something future citizens can treasure.