Well, we did it. We bought land. Shellmate Island. The dream for some people or what would be part of the "American dream". A piece of land I own and do as I please, sorta. If it's in the rule book 🙄. Some may say I'm just being a dumb "millennial" but that to me is not much of me owning something if I am told what I can and can't do. This patch of dirt over here means you can have chickens and a single goat while that section of dirt over there you can have as much as you want. You can have an RV but you can't have it plugged in? If you want a dock make sure you pay the city to build on the water and land you own and already pay taxes on. Make sure you make friends with someone at the zoning department. You will be calling them quite a bit and they will be able to answer most questions. Anyways this isn't for my weird rant...this is about the early process of buying our first piece of land. 

It's an interesting part of my life now. For me I grew up thinking one day I will have a house and some land to call home and when that day comes I'll be ready as a person and be doing that whole adult thing. Well, that's sorta how it feels without feeling like an adult hahah 😂 

I would of never thought it could have such a positive effect on myself and the way I view things in life. I think we are constantly gradually increasing on a development aspect in our life, or should be if we are doing it right, but I never thought a patch of dirt could help with that as much as it is for me. 

Taking care of the land and small projects already has increased my awareness of what I am capable of. Deciding to go tiny last year was a big stepping stone, no doubt. Having a short amount of time to figure it out and execute that change smoothly was a great experience for my mental doubts I live with. The island is somewhat the same feeling. 

Here we are tending to land to make sure it's a place to call home and place where we can kick off the shoes and have a nice cold one with a fire. We are working with the city to figure out how we get everything we need and abide by their "codes" for the land to have a tiny paradise for us. It feels like we are stumbling our way in on the technical stuff and codes but we are figuring it out. These, what sounds like small issues, make a big difference in our lives and mental state. We find a solution to every problem and continue to push toward our dreams. We grow as a person and are better than we were yesterday. 

As humans, we like to focus on the past or the future and define our lives by them and although I think that is important, I know that remaining present in the journey of exciting things is half the fun.

That's exactly what we are trying to do. Stay present in this process and really check in with ourselves to see how we feel during this all. In the end, everyone will see the results and periodically see updates on social media but going through it ourselves we will have lived it and seen the whole process. That's something I shouldn't forget about and how lucky I am to be able to live this life. 

I was talking to my dad about how I had a good day the other day and he said, "Remember these days and the ones leading up to them, cause on the days that you think are bad you can always reflect back and know that the good ones come and go throughout your life."  

It's this chapter in my life that I will be able to reflect back when I am older and remember this exciting journey. 

-Tim

Has there been any time in your life where you look back and say “I grew from that experience.” I would love to hear it in the comments below!