What I Learned From My Almost Year-Long ‘Walden’ Experiment

I was surprised by what I found…

Living in close proximity to nature can teach us a lot about ourselves and the world around us. That’s why, at the beginning of 2022, I decided to abandon modern living and go “Walden” instead — living off the grid in a remote cabin and yurt deep in nature. Here are some of the life lessons I learned from my experience.

The first life lesson I learned is to appreciate the simple things in life. Living off the grid, surrounded by nature, and removed from all of the distractions of modern living allowed me to truly appreciate the beauty and simplicity of nature.

I was able to take long walks through forests and mountains, star gaze every night, or just sit and listen to the birds singing.

Okay, let’s stop.

Though I grandly envisioned and romanticized spending my days strolling through nature and looking up at the stars, the reality was much more complicated.

I am someone who was raised in the city and lived in big cities throughout my life, going Walden was rather an extreme change to my previous life.

But I needed it.

I couldn’t take any more of the so-called modern life, I was burned out.

The only solution for me was to go and live off the grid in the woods.

Discomfort

The summer was beautiful and enjoyable at the farm but the winter crept in with its rainy and cold days and made life here very uncomfortable.

We have 9 solar panels and 4 batteries that, under normal circumstances, work great.

However, this winter in Spain was unusual weather-wise; instead of the typical rainy-chilly-sunny season, we had a floating one.

In 12 hours in some places, over 100 L of water rained down on Spanish soil. Just google it.

We’ve had 25 days of dreary weather so far where I live. Sometimes the sun manages to peek through the clouds for a brief period.

Not only did it fail to fully recharge my batteries, but we were often without power altogether. Doing laundry or taking a shower became indulgences we could no longer afford.

We could do it once a week or go to the village and take showers at a friend’s house.

Life Lesson: We are getting a generator next year

Survival

I had to learn how to survive and make do with the limited resources provided by nature.

I learned to adjust, adapt, and make my own way in this new environment.

Of course, as time passed, I got more used to it but some days were still quite grueling. In this story, I describe my first survival experience:

I have to learn how to stay safe, be proactive, and think quickly when problems arise. Thank God for the internet and YouTube which allow me to find answers fast.

Within a short amount of time, I learned how to use organic paint rather than synthetic paint. Additionally, I learned how to bake bread from scratch.

How to thaw frozen pipes and wash dishes without a water heater.

Scare horny dogs when my puppy was going through the first heat.

Each night and morning, we should be grateful that we made it through another day.

This old saying is still true today: What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.

Patience

Living off the grid and with limited resources taught me to be patient. I learned to accept that some things take time, like bread baking or making a fire in the wood stove. It’s all part of the process and learning experience.

I had to wait for things that seemed out of my control sometimes; such as waiting for deliveries, waiting for the sun to come out, and waiting for a chance to charge my devices.

I had to learn how to be patient and wait without getting frustrated, knowing that things would eventually work out in their own time.

I realized that it was best not to rush through life as it doesn’t always provide what we need when we want it.

The patience that came with living off the grid was a valuable lesson and one I will carry with me forever.

Humbleness

Living off the grid has also taught me to be humble.

The simple yet crucial daily task of providing warmth, food, and electricity for myself was a humbling experience.

Another one was mother nature. You can’t go against it or fight it. It will slap you back. When we arrived at the farm, feral cats lived there and they got into fights with my apartment cats.

One got bitten and the other got raped. I was furious swearing to kill them until I gave up and accepted them. Now we have feral cats family and my cats. Somehow they accepted each other.

I just let it go and accepted their fate.

This experience taught me that some things are out of our control and we just have to accept them. Also, I learned to accept the weather. We are in the midst of climate change and now everything is possible. It is out of my control. That was a lesson in humbleness.

Community

I learned that I am not as self-sufficient as I thought; we all need help at times.

I had to accept assistance from friends and the community. I learned how to ask for and accept help from those around me.

I found out that I wasn’t the only one going through a difficult time and that there are many people in similar situations.

This gave me hope and comfort.

We managed to find support in each other, creating a strong community of like-minded individuals who were learning and growing together.

Learning to work with others was invaluable and I’m now more appreciative of the importance of our collective strengths.

Contrary to popular belief, living off the grid does not mean going on a journey or experience alone.

You can’t do it by yourself.

In fact, the community is essential for survival and quality of life when living off the grid.

Conclusion

Living off the grid has taught me valuable lessons about survival, resourcefulness, and patience. Being surrounded by nature and having to make do with limited resources has allowed me to hone my skills and rethink how I approach problems.

I’m now more aware of the importance of community and the need to ask for help when necessary. I have a greater sense of appreciation for what I have, while also embracing uncertainty and learning to be patient.

Living off the grid has given me many life lessons that I will take with me wherever I go. I’m not giving up after this winter; I’m going to prepare myself better for the next one. Now I know, I didn’t know just a few months ago.