Community Building
For as often as I report on our logistics of living here at Empty Mountain, off-grid and without running water, and our slow progress on the building front, the big life-change we made when we sold our small 550-square-foot house in Missoula in the fall of 2021, which we loved for 18-years, was driven just as much by the desire to cultivate community, and develop a connective relationship with the land, as it was to homestead in the woods.
Our interest was not in disappearing into the woods or detaching from society. Our interest wasn’t really even in off-grid living, as when we sold our house we did so without knowing when and where - and if! - we’d find land we could afford to buy. We were open to the possibility of off-grid living, but it wasn’t our focus. We would’ve been just fine with land that had power we could link into.
While we were motivated in part to make a drastic change to our lifestyle to better support Mike’s physical and mental health, by scaling back on our bills by way of simple living so that Mike could work way less in the hard trade of roofing, our long-held vision has always been to live in the woods surrounded by nature, and to create a place of refuge for others.
While we’ve been focused on our most pressing need of personal shelter and systems set up, everything we do is geared in the direction of wanting to be a place that can welcome others. We’re doing what we’re doing so that we can get set up for others to join us, whether for events and retreats that we organize and host or for short-term or long-term stays.
On the community building front, Mike and I have been listening to a podcast centered on intentional communities together. We are also reading Thich Nhat Hanh’s book Joyfully Together: The Art of Building A Harmonious Community. Both have been spurring conversations about possible EM policies, practices, and procedures that will create the foundation for bringing others into the mix at some point down the line. Other mindfulness practitioners who might want to dwell alongside of us.
I think delving into any sort of long-term living arrangements with others here at EM is a little ways off yet. We’re still finding our own footing here and figuring ourselves out in this new environment, but who knows? Maybe just the right person or persons will reveal themselves as awesome EM fits and a residential community will sprout sooner than later.
In the meantime, we’re slowly establishing our taproot into the soil. We’re practicing to foster balance between present moment living and future-minded planning. We’re involving ourselves, deeply and with care, with the humble work of taking one small step at a time.