>>625634I was just born into it. My grand mother was raised up in the mountains a few miles from here where they basically homestead. Raised a big garden, raised animals, and hunted. Preserved food by canning or in a salt house. One person worked in the coal mines to provide what little money they had or needed.
Growing up the elders here taught me a lot about living off the land, bushcrafting, and thr old ways. It's not easy. It's very hard work, but it's very fulfilling to live this type of life.
Mentally you have to be out of step with the world. In today's time you judge success by the type of car you drive, the location of your home and how much money you have in the bank. I don't have a bank account. I have zero credit. By comparison to the rest of America I'm poor. But I don't see it that way. I live a very simple life with freedom. While I may not have a BMW and a gated community, I have a roof over my head, plenty of food that I mostly grew or harvested, and I have a lot of good friends and family. A support system such like family or a community is so crucial to live like this. You can barter for goods or services, or just lend a helping hand and in return you'll probably get several hands helping you when you need it.
The rest of the world tends to look down upon Eastern Kentucky because of the poverty, drug abuse, and coal, but it offers the type of independence that gets in your blood and will never leave. You just follow the old timers and do what they done their whole lives and you'll survive. It might not be glamorous, but it is what it is.
