Common Daily Problems After Downshifting
Cleaning, Agricultural and Social Problems You May Face
Be born, grow and study, go to collage and university, get a degree, find an office job because it’s not bad paid, get married and have two kids, save for their education, get old and die. Is this how people should live? Is this what we should achieve in life? These questions are rhetorical, of course. This is not what we should do in our lives but what alternatives do we have? How to achieve our dreams? Downshifting is probably the most obvious, wide spread and most practised solution. There are common problems which may be the spokes in the wheel on your way to full happiness, however.
Here are these top 5 problems and some tips on what may just be the solution to each one of them.
#1. Cleaning
You may not realise it now but there are more and different sources of dirt in the villages. Mud, animals, open-fired ovens. These are just the first three i can think of.
In order to deal with the mud on the carpets you have to:
— leave your shoes outside when entering your home. I know it’s simple but its essential.
— pave the paths in the garden. You may use stones you find around and make a great looking path.
Tip: According to professional London carpet cleaners, if you need to deal with mud anyway, wait for it to dry, remove it and clean the grease left behind, These spots are not very easy to clean, but way not impossible.
The ash and the smell of smoke may be another of your problems. Thankfully, there is a solution for this one too. Solar ovens are relevantly cheap and work perfectly. The more modern ones allow cooking even without direct sunlight. When it’s dark, you simply fire up the barbecue and continue cooking. To avoid the smoke you’ll have to erect a chimney higher than the highest point of your house. That way the smoke will be blown away and will not go inside the house.
#2. Kids education
Another issue which downshifters from all around the world face. Usually the idea of downshifting is to become one with the nature. That means working in the fields. That from the other hand means less time for the kids. One solution is to send the kid to school in the nearest city or to follow the tips in the specialised websites. Assign homework and specific goals to the kid and check if they are properly done at the end of the day.
#3. Agriculture
Yes, its more delicious but do you know how to grow plants. Do you know anything about agriculture? Most of us don’t. My advice is to learn the basics before moving. Otherwise you risk too much especially if you are not just moving to a smaller city, but to vastly deserted area.
#4. Less people, less social life, less Internet.
That’s probably the main idea of downshifting, but do you realise what it means? You’ll have to do your cleaning, your washing, your cooking but also you’ll have less neighbours, slower Internet connection.
#5. A few bars in the area would be the best case scenario.
Yes, your night life will not be the same if you have any. One or two bars where the whole village will gather and where new people will come as often as it snows in Africa. It’s not impossible, but it’s unlikely.
Yes, you can live calmer, eat healthier and sleep deeper if you move to any village in the countryside but there is a price to pay and my advice is to think well, before any serious step in that direction.
