My First Winter Off The Grid Is Kicking My Ass: I Wasn’t Ready!

It is harder than I thought but still better than corporate life

I woke up in the middle of the night to a motion light going off and on. When I looked at the clock, it was 4 AM. My first thought was that stupid feral cats were back again. But then I noticed a large shadow outside my yurt’s panoramic window. The animal looked big enough to be a bear, and it seemed to be staring inside.

“ Holy shit,” I screamed silently. I didn’t want to wake up my 9 months puppy in heat and my daughter sleeping.

Three of us stayed in the yurt on a three-acre property with no neighbors, two kilometers away from the nearest village. I was the only adult; and the creature outside.

I live in Spain, where I don’t have a gun or rifle to scare away animals. At that moment, I wished I had some kind of weapon on me.

After I looked carefully, I spotted a German Shepard mix with Mastin. It was a large dog, and it came over here because my puppy is in her first heat.

We are getting ready for breeding next year which is why she isn’t neutered.

She was asleep too, I heard my heart pounding and my stomach turning.

The anxiety was building up.

He left the yurt and sat down a few meters away and started howling. I was worried, he could destroy the yurt to try to come to her, or my Doberman puppy starting to bark which could turn into a shit show.

She woke up, but I quietly whispered to her to be quiet. Miraculously, she listened. She was just as terrified as me, so we sat in the bed together and shook.

After a while, the dog left and I called my husband who is on a work assignment in California what happened. I couldn’t go back to bed.

The fear of being so vulnerable and exposed in the winter with no neighbors, no police, or anyone to call for help was overwhelming. I realized that living off the grid is not a game and it can be dangerous sometimes.

But then again, I thought: “OK here we are. I dropped out of my corporate job and moved to a yurt in the middle of nowhere. We got out of our comfort zone to pursue something different, something that we have been dreaming for years: To live off the grid and closer to nature.”

This was only one of the problems I encountered this winter while living off the grid. Every day, I would wake up to frozen pipes, dogs trying to get to our chickens, or feral cats and foxes prowling around.

Since I live in a yurt, every day I have to check my power and water levels to see if we can make it through the night.

If it’s been raining, I need to be extra careful about checking the power levels since we rely on solar panels for energy.

And of course, I always need to have wood ready so we can stay warm at night!

Now, I realize how we take these basic necessities for granted. This is not as simple as flipping a switch or turning on the faucet.

Every day I learn a new skill and celebrate every day our survival.

This off-grid living has been the best decision I have ever made.

I don’t miss my corporate job, the anxiety from it, or the traffic jams that come with it.

All in all, my first winter off the grid is kicking my ass. It has been hard and it will be harder as the weather gets colder. But I’m ready for it, I have learned some skills and this experience already made me a much tougher person.

It was one of the best decisions I ever made and even though living off-grid has its challenges and difficulties, it is the best thing that ever happened to me.

It is my first winter off the grid and I am not ready for what it came along with. But I still thought it was better than being stuck in a corporate job.

The power of nature can be overwhelming and sometimes scary but there is something special about living connected with the land and animals surrounding me.

I feel alive, connected, and part of something bigger. I never saw meaning in the corporate job and I was bored and empty.

The act of consuming no longer holds value to me, nor does the continuous pursuit of money.

It became meaningless.

Life is much bigger than hustling.

I wouldn’t trade my off-the-grid experience for anything in the world and I am eternally grateful for all that living closer to nature has taught me.

Now, when I hear people talking about their day jobs or their anxiety, I just sit back and enjoy the sunset.

I smile knowing that I have made a brave decision to start my life anew.

Living off-grid has its rewards and its challenges, but it’s been a journey worth taking. It’s taught me how to be resilient, and humble, and appreciate every moment of this beautiful life we have been given.

This experience has made me and I am thankful for it every single day.

Every morning, I wake up to the sound of birds singing and the sun slowly lighting up my yurt.

I feel unbelievably blessed, even in the moments when it’s cold and there is no power or running water.

It has taught me that life is beautiful and precious and that we should never take it for granted.

This is why I’m determined to continue my journey off the grid even if it means facing new challenges every day.

I’m looking forward to many more winters off-grid.