> I can't help feel frustrated when I watch my friends in the city enjoy all of the comforts it offers and seemingly pull away from me both financially and soci

> I can't help feel frustrated when I watch my friends in the city enjoy all of the comforts it offers and seemingly pull away from me both financially and socially. I think the keyword here is "comforts". If we are honest in our world today, it is comfort and convenience that, while we crave them, are, for the most part, causing us grief in terms of environmental, political, cultural and economic impact. So while I understand your reticence and reluctance to forge onward, I do applaud your willingness to journey down this path in the first place. To my mind, this is an opportunity to re-calibrate your system of values in such a way that homesteading becomes a way to reintegrate yourself with the natural world without trying to dominate it. In doing so, you need not necessarily adhere to an ascetic approach to homesteading, but work to achieve a balanced and fulfilling approach.