If you’re on the fence, then please get off of it and make your move. I realize how scary that sounds because I’ve done it. I realize how insane it sounds to walk away from a job with really good benefits and a retirement account. Again, because I did it. I did it for health reasons several years ago, but the current situation is no different – there is a need, a demand, a situation at hand (unconstitutional mandates?), that requires finding a spot far away from the madness and its influences. I was scared spitless at the time – leaving that security of a paycheck. Many can take their jobs with them, as the last year or two has proved out for remote workers. Many cannot work remotely, as their jobs require physical attendance. It’s a Catch-22 for millions of families living in urban areas. I get that. This is hard stuff and there’s no glossing it over. But, I urge you to get out of the cities before it’s too late to get out.
My definition of “too late to get out” includes:
- You can’t sell your house, if you own one, because everyone else who can afford it is leaving too (no buyers);
- The economy becomes so restricted it actually “crashes” and everything you’ve put into it becomes worthless (house and/or business);
- Transportation becomes impossible to obtain due to certain passports being required to travel, and/or fuel becomes scarce;
- Supplies in and out of the city dwindle;
- Service businesses in and around the city shutter;
- Civil unrest and/or crime makes living in the city dangerous
- Crime makes traveling in unfamiliar areas dangerous
… (it’s a long list, I’m sure you can add to it).
I’m spelling out the “handwriting on the wall”. I’m pointing to the “elephant in the room”. I’m the “town crier”. I’m shouting from the rooftops. No more excuses. No more dragging of the feet. No more allowing yourself to be paralyzed by fear, the unknown, and dread. You know that nagging, sinking feeling you’ve been having? It’s your gut telling you that It’s Time. You’re being boiled like a frog, and the water is getting hot. Should you need more encouragement, read on. If you don’t want to believe it, read on anyway.
Remember: Noah was considered a conspiracy theorist until it started to rain.
A storm on the horizon
Today was a beautiful day. I spent the day moving the new flock from the brooder to a larger, temporary, pen before the move into the chicken house and run. I spent time training my big dogs to sit, down, and wait, especially when they got over-excited at the prospects of chasing and eating whatever comes their way. One chick escaped and was quickly picked up by one of the dogs, who dropped it on command, but the other dog picked it up, then also dropped it on command. Poor little bird is doing well in spite of the shock of being carried around by large toothed animals. The dogs did well as a stranger in a FedEx uniform delivered a package. He apparently didn’t want to get out of his truck, not trusting the big dogs to hold their positions. He dropped the package gently out the truck door and apologized for not getting out while the dogs held their positions eyeing him with intensity. Poor guy. No one believes me when I say “they’re just puppies” (at 85 and 65 lbs). Although, I appreciate the innate fear many people have of my German Shepherds and their guarding instincts, I work hard at having dogs under my control.
The weather was hot and humid, but no less beautiful. I made my body keep going, fixing things that were in need of repair, organizing, making lists of needed supplies, cleaning, and prioritizing. I watched my grandchildren have a perfectly wonderful time gathering leaves, sticks, and flowers, making a fort with cardboard boxes, pretending to have a tea party using a dog frisbee as a serving plate, and making a slide down the front steps with a particularly large box. They were dirty, sweaty, and so happy as I handed them each a cold juice box. They slept well that night. I’m glad they’re out of the city and that I am privileged to spend time with them. As I went about my tasks, I wasn’t worried that they’d become victims of a violent crime. We are too far away from civilization for that to even be of concern. At least for now.
I scanned the horizon, knowing that another hurricane off the gulf coast would be the cause of a lot more rain, and potentially tornadoes and flooding in the next few days. I had done everything a person could do to prepare including a check of the tornado shelter (an innermost closet in the house). Checked the flashlights and emergency radio. Drove to town to top off the gas tank, although it was almost full, and picked up the few extras I thought I might need. Ugh. I’ve been so distracted by world events it was hard to concentrate – thankfully I just needed to pay attention to the reality here on the homestead with the upcoming storm.
Things have gotten crazy
It seems that the entire world is in disarray these days. Thankfully, my little farm takes all that is in me to maintain and improve. The exhaustion allows me to sleep each night rather than stay wide awake with stressful thoughts. I was delighted to hear recently that three of my relatives made the move to get their families out of the city and into a rural area in another “not blue” state. While I hate alarming people, the urge, the deep spiritual impression, that I’ve been having has intensified. But, for those of you who don’t make decisions based on a spiritual or emotional basis, let’s focus on the reality and statistics.
There’s a joke among the Troopers of a certain state. They call certain areas “no go” zones. They aren’t really laughing about it – they are using humor to cope with the sometimes hopelessness of their jobs. Those areas are where the serious crime is less obvious to the general public, and they simply do not have the manpower to cover the areas. So, as long as a criminal isn’t directly, actively, shooting at people, no law enforcement goes there. We’re talking huge swaths of that state are rarely patrolled. Which creates a nice corridor for drug and human trafficking to occur.
In another state there are “no go” zones because the politicians have given protected status to certain organizations under the guise of “peaceful protests”, “racial equality”, and “ethnic equity”. In other states, there are whole cities so entrenched in violent crime, that law enforcement is simply outnumbered and to go in is to die – many have sacrificed their lives to save others in spite of the risks. May they rest in peace. And then there are the officers who ask themselves every day, is it more important to stay alive for my family today or do everything in my power to rescue another family and potentially go to jail for the crime of intervening? You see, many local District Attorneys would rather prosecute the officer for doing his or her job, than the criminal who caused the problem in the first place. It’s a real Catch-22 for law enforcement with many resigning their posts, and the rest of us suffer the consequences.
Homicides are up
The fact is that homicides (murder!) across major U.S. cities rose by a whopping 30% in 2020 followed by a 24% jump in the first part of 2021. If you search for statistics, be sure to look at crime statistics published in your locale, and/or research the FBI published crime statistics database. Look for hard data. Don’t, whatever you do, read people’s opinions about the crime waves and believe what they’re saying. Much of what is published is extremely far left-leaning and those articles conclude, wrongly, that our lack of “social justice” is the cause of all crime. Rather than the simple idea that crime is not being punished and that criminals are being given free rein in many areas by the Politicians. Currently, the trajectory doesn’t appear to be changing. Do some research on the cities within 350 miles of where you live now. That’s a random number of miles and I only suggest it because that’s about how far a tank of gas will take you – more or less depending upon the kind of car you drive. Most criminals are not driving a Prius.
I live about 300 miles from one of the most violent cities in the country. It sounds like I’m not taking my own advice. However, I’m tucked into the hills and off the beaten path. And I’m not, as of now, a target. Rich people don’t live here, so there’s nothing to steal. It takes a bit of doing to get here, traversing narrow country roads, sometimes washed out or rough gravel, with nothing much of interest to see along the way other than graveyards and some old country homes. The closest city with all the “amenities” is almost an hour’s drive. Inconvenience seems to be the primary reason some people do not want to live in a rural area.
Going rural
Think about that for a minute. Inconvenience is the reason many people do not want to live in a rural area. We have a Sheriff. We have a fire station. We have an urgent care clinic. We have an ambulance service. We have gas stations. We have Internet. We have a few convenience stores and a little grocery store. Even a hair and beauty salon, fast food, a few restaurants, an auto parts store, a hardware store, antique stores, a little outdoor movie theatre, a drug store, etc. But, Costco? Walmart? A mall? Nope. We don’t have anything where large numbers of people would congregate.
Inconvenient to you equals inconvenient to criminals. It might help you to make the move if you can embrace this concept: Inconvenience is your friend. Please don’t wait until there’s a “defining moment”, i.e., someone in your family gets hurt, or perhaps you won’t take “the Jab” and your employer is requiring it so you lose your job. Get out now, while you are in a position of strength, not weakness. As always, pray about it and seek the Lord’s will – don’t just take my word for it.
(Tomorrow, in Part 2, I will discuss creative ways to “reimagine” your life.)