The Simple Life

I encountered this quote on a video of my new favorite game, Stardew Valley. In it, you play as a farmer who lives off the land. You raise chickens and cows while watering your crops and selling them to the local general store. Along the way, you befriend the townsfolk and donate to their community center, slowly rebuilding it in the process. The game is busy but peaceful: there is always something to be done, but one is never overwhelmed and it is enjoyable to complete tasks and expand one's farm and abilities.

Whenever I play Stardew Valley, it makes me yearn for a simple life. Gathering eggs from the coop to make breakfast, harvesting crops to give to others, and clearing the land is so satisfying and relaxing. There is never a rush or pressure, one just continues on, slowly developing a larger garden and gaining more amenities. I wish my own life could reflect this rather than having a constant feeling that I am behind. There is always a hard deadline looming ahead and anything productive that isn't absolutely necessary for my courses is often neglected.

I am glad to be with my love currently, but I wish we had more time to focus on what we enjoy working on. I know there awaits half a decade of stressful academia for him, and naturally, I share his burden by supporting him while he educates himself to pave the way to a better life for us both. We are endlessly burdened and a weight of work hangs over us - my class projects, his tests, our college applications. I wish we were free of the obligations of school, of this nonsense illegitimate academia that encumbers us. I desire solitude with my essential partner and time for our personal pursuits.

The necessities of life are never the priority for us, and I wish it didn't have to be so. Recently, we have been taking time to make breakfast together every morning. He cooks the hash browns and eggs while I make pancakes. It makes the morning something to look forward to - but it means we lose more than an hour in preparation, cooking, and eating leisurely. We also spend time together in the evenings and sleep for a full eight hours. It seems like this habit will become unsustainable as it is cutting into the time we need for studying and assignments. I can only hope one day these habits will be not a distraction from, but instead a necessary part of, the daily work.

I would love to have a little cabin in the country, away from civilization. We could both work from home, holed up in our office and library and lab. I would have time to ponder and read and learn, without the pressures and distractions of college work. Of course, there will be a garden to be upkept, a house to be cleaned, meals to be cooked. But my love will always be there, and we can do these things together. We would be peacefully busy and walking through life simply together would be a joy.