It’s so hard sometimes to fit the way I want to live with the way I have to live. I’d love nothing more than to have self-sufficiency, to live as they did in the times of my beloved period dramas, when such a life was a matter of course instead of a matter of choice. I envy those who are able to have their homesteads, off the grid, and create their life outside the “normal” societal boundaries.

 

How does that work?

But this is not the 1700s. Our world is not free. There are the remnants of  nuclear waste in every corner of our planet, plastic found in the bottom of our oceans… unimaginable pollution compared to what our world looked like mere centuries ago. The inhabitants of this country, and in many parts of the world, would not recognize the difference between 1700 and the present day, backwards or forwards. The landscape is different, the society is different, to say nothing of the “modern marvels” that make up our day-to-day life. Even now, here I sit, before a computer, talking about a more natural lifestyle.

It’s almost impossible these days to be 100% natural. Even if we could take ourselves out of the world, we’re still touched by it. Radiation, radio waves, and pollution are everywhere. There’s no escaping it anymore: we can only mitigate the damage. 

So how do we reconcile natural living in modern life?

All you can do is your best. Utilize your resources and make the most of what you have. You can minimize, shrink your footprint, and don’t waste what you have.

Try This

If you’re going to own a smartphone anyway, take advantage of its capabilities. Cut down on paper by digitizing. There are awesome apps available for free or little cost that help with organization and task management. One of my favorite note-taking apps is Bear, which I switched to from Evernote. Bear provides a massive pin board with sortable hashtags. I have sections for home, work, grocery lists… you name it. Everything is inside one program and easily maintained. It definitely cuts down on my “to-do” lists.

Where we’re currently living, mass public transportation is not available (heck, we only just got Uber and Lyft). When you don’t have that option either, try to travel with the windows down more instead of using a/c all the time during the summer (making trips out in the morning can help make this bearable!). Plan to make multiple trips at a time and travel in a loop to make the most of the gas. Keep a cooler in the car for groceries so shopping can be done at different stores without making a trip home.

Change It Up At Home

At home we keep our a/c close to the outdoor temperature or turn it off completely and open our windows. Keep lights off unless in use. Natural light is our friend: in additional to extra Vitamin D, we cut down on electric usage by opening the curtains. We also make use of candles (Our beeswax candles are made with local wax from small business owners!) The girls consider it a special treat to have a “candlelight dinner” and I like the coziness candles add instead of electric light.

Bath time is a ritual and one of our favorite parts of the day. We make the most of water use by not running it unnecessarily and not filling up the tub completely every time we soak. I make all our shampoos, conditioners, and washes so I know exactly what’s going on our bodies. In addition to natural ingredients I’ve sourced myself, I get to customize with essential oils for each of us. (Find more info about why I love essential oils here. Find our body shop here.)

One of my least favorite chores is dishes. Happily for me, the modern world has provided dishwashers that use less water than hand-washing. While being admittedly unmodern, it certainly helps to cut down on precious resources. With a household of four, we typically fill our washer every day. I’ve taught the girls the Tetris theme when it comes to loading it and we use an all-natural, homemade recipe for cleaner.

Natural living in modern life is possible. It’s just a matter of working for it.