Saturday, January 19, 2013

Land of Enchantment

I have recently relocated from the Chicago area to southwestern New Mexico, state slogan: "The Land of Enchantment". For those who have never been, perhaps this sounds like a conceited overstatement to compete with the likes of Illinois ("Land of Lincoln"), New Hampshire ("Live Free or Die") or New York ("The Empire State"). Or maybe simply self delusion considering the miles of desert and apparent wasteland. But arguably New Mexico is better off in this department than the states of Texas ("Everything is Bigger in Texas", inadequacy issues?), Washington ("Say WA!", really?) and West Virginia ("We Ain't All Cousins", 'nuf said).

Only being here a week, I have already come to experience first hand the accuracy of this claim. Never have I seen skies bluer, air that smells fresher, vistas more remarkable. Even the quality of the sunlight is richer, more enlivening, in a word, enchanting.


Beyond extolling the beauty of my new homeland, I thought I'd discuss what may seem an obvious part of the selection process for any homestead. Find a place you truly love. Homesteading is as difficult as it is rewarding. Make sure you select a location in an area where you will feel rewarded for all of your hard work. A place where you will enjoy sitting on your porch in the evening with your beverage of choice watching the sun set. An area that you will never tire of exploring. A location with friendly people of like minds who will welcome you into their community and be interested in sharing (and possibly helping you) in your adventure.

The challenge for most of us is that we can't simply up root ourselves and move to the most beautiful setting we desire. Usually our selection is based on a series of compromises; distance to friends, family or employment, property values or a spouse's contrasting desires. Balancing all of these are important and each of us has to decide for ourselves which take precedence over the others. But if for any reason you select a place that you don't truly love, you will eventually become disappointed and your chances of succeeding in your new venture will diminish with time. So find your land of enchantment, wherever that may be.

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