Self-sufficient living: the reality behind the dream (first harvest & setbacks)

Gepubliceerd op 28 april 2026 om 11:54

Some weeks, I have a plan.

A clear plan.
What we are going to do.
What needs to get done.
What we will plant, build, or finish.

And honestly?

This week… nothing went according to plan.

The dream vs reality

We are building a self-sufficient life.
A dream that is slowly starting to take shape.

But the reality?

It looks nothing like the picture in your head.

I work.
We have a family.
There is always something that needs attention.

And the garden?

I take care of it in between everything else.
During breaks.
Quickly stepping outside.
Doing what I can.

Meanwhile… the weeds keep growing.
Faster than I can keep up.

Always feeling behind

There are moments where I look at the garden and think:

"We are falling behind…"

There is still so much to do.
So much I thought would already be finished.

But the truth is:

There is not always enough time.

And weekends?

They are not days off.

They are for:

working in the garden

building

fixing

maintaining everything

This life is not “free time”.
It is just… a different kind of life.

When everything falls apart

And then, this week… everything really fell apart.

The wood supplier we planned to visit?
Closed.

Our puppy suddenly cut his paw open.
Badly.

Blood everywhere.
Panic.
And suddenly you are in the car, rushing to the vet.

One of those moments where everything stops.

And your plans?

They did not matter anymore.

And still… something good happened

And yet…

In the middle of all that chaos, something beautiful happened.

We ate our first Swiss chard from our own garden.

Something we planted.
Something we grew.

And in that moment… everything felt worth it.

The small moments

The kids were outside.
Playing with ladybugs.
Blowing dandelion seeds into the wind.

Just enjoying the simple things.

And my oldest son?

He planted all the potatoes for me.
Without me asking.

Something I had been putting off for days…
was suddenly done.

Step by step

And maybe that is the biggest lesson this week.

Things will not go as planned.
In fact… most of the time, they do not.

But that does not mean you are failing.

It just means you have to:

adjust

keep going

accept that it will look different

If you are reading this

If you are reading this and thinking:

"I am behind…"
"I cannot keep up…"

I want you to know:

You are not the only one
It does not have to be perfect
Every small step counts

Because in the end…

It is all those small steps,
those small wins,

that slowly build something bigger.

This is only the beginning.

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