“I love not Man the less, but Nature more, From these our interviews, in which I steal From all I may be, or have been before, To mingle with the Universe, and feel”
Quote From Lord Byron: Childe Harold's Pilgrimage
For many years I suffered with sleep disorders such as insomnia and nightmares. Getting to sleep was a struggle, and staying asleep was an even bigger struggle. Some nights I only got 3 hours of sleep and my body began to slowly wear down. Within 2-3 weeks of being off of the grid, I began feeling rested; I was sleeping well through the night. As the moon would rise high into the sky, it was as if it sang me a lullaby, and when the sweet sun would rise in the East it would cast a light of life onto my cheeks. My sleeping patterns became normal, and I no longer struggled to rest at night.
I eliminated all of the over-processed foods, additives and chemicals from my diet. Anything I ate was natural and organic. My body went through immediate detox. All of the unnecessary waste was eliminated. I noticed I wasn't craving junk food at odd hours of the night, and where breakfast was once an easily skipped meal, my body now craved it. I was eating 3 square meals a day at normal hours and it felt great. No more midnight munchies.
My days off were no longer provided by the day of the week; days off were given when the storms came rolling in or during the summer when the temperatures spiked over 100. A clock no longer told me the time, nature did. The whippoorwill and roosters let me know when the sun was on the rise and on a cloudy day the frogs give you a ten minute warning that the rain is coming. Just as the whippoorwill greets the day it sees it off just as the sun sinks in for a good night’s rest. Hearing their evening call let me know I had about 15 minutes until dark set in.
No longer bound by timepieces and calendars, I felt a freedom unlike any other. I was in such touch with nature and all things around me. It reminded me about what's really important in this life – and that's living it! I grew my own produce and raised farm animals. I unbound myself from the clutches of big corporations and went in search for the local mom-and-pop shops. I found many others who still use the trade and barter systems and learned new ways to not only survive, but to thrive, as well.
My whole being became tuned to the rhythms of nature. Some things you can't experience from YouTube or Google; some things have to be done to experience them to the fullest. I live mostly off the grid when I can, and to be honest with you, it can be hard to go back onto the grid with all of the noise and lights. There are far too many distractions, and through all the noise of the hustle and bustle, the whippoorwill gets drowned out and the bright lights trick the mind into restlessness. It is important to always stay in touch and in tune with nature’s natural rhythms.
