The Choice

So I have decided that building a cabin in the woods and living off the land is the dream that I most want to pursue.  The other choices each offer the solitude I seek, but they do not offer much in the way of doing. They each have some bit of learning and growth involved as well, but the amount of continuous learning and new skills sets available by building my own home and living off of the land is beyond a dream.

Now that the decision has been made, I will make several posts on some of the skill sets I need to learn and where I currently stand with those things.  I have started to do some small things, and I can’t wait to do more and to tell everything about it. This is gonna be amazing!

Adam

 

What do I want?

For years I have craved solitude. My people are my people and the rest of them just tend to get in the way and cause stress and grief that I don’t need. I have always wanted to live a secluded life. Just me and my significant other; alone, but together. I have had four drastically different, but at their core similar, ideas.  They are:

A) Live on a sailboat and sail where the winds and currents take us.

B) Live in an RV and drive wherever the road takes us.

C) Ride motorcycles throughout the America’s and come and go as we please.

D) Build a cabin in the woods and live off the land.

Coming up I will share what I have chosen, explain why I chose it and begin the process of making my dream into my new reality.

 

Adam

When and how?

When do dreams become realities? How do you take the leap of faith that is required to leave the life you know so you can dive into the great unknown? How to you transition from a life of people and relative ease to a life of solitude and survival? How do you go from big box store convenience to living off of the land utilizing your own wits and skills? How do you go from electricity, power tools and forced air, to only natural light, hand tools and fire? How do you get the nerve to risk it all, literally everything, on a dream? Hopefully like this….

My name is Adam Dixon. I am currently on active duty in the United States Navy. As I get closer and closer to retirement, the reality of what is coming up in my life is getting more and more real.

I joined the Navy shortly after High School and have been in for over 24 years. It is unquestionably the greatest decision I have ever made. I have had a successful career in the Gas Turbine field and have absolutely loved it. But this isn’t what I want for the rest of my life.

Gas Turbines are super-complex, intricate, multi-million dollar technical wonders. I lead teams of Sailors in their maintenance, overhaul, removal and replacement and we travel anywhere the Navy needs us to do this. And I don’t want that anymore.

I don’t want millions of dollars worth of equipment and the ability or inability of a ship to get underway in defense of our Nation, to rest on my shoulders. I don’t want the lives of my Sailors and their families to depend on my decisions, whims and moods. And I don’t want my life to depend on the decisions, whims and moods of my superiors.

I want Simple. Tangible. Understandable. Relatable. I want to be the doer. I want my decisions to affect me. I want my efforts and the level there-of to result in my rewards. The harder the work, the greater the reward. I’m ready for my own life.  Maybe you’ll follow along.

Adam