If only it were so

We went to the ward in Oakley (visiting Richard's family here) and I was struck by their humility. Some didnt pronounce words right, they talked about their beloved pigs, praying for their crops to grow so that they would have enough to live and provide for their families, telling about how their spouse had gotten excommicated from the church and their divorce, and so many other things that you dont hear about everyday. The thing was, that all of them were so meek and humble, sweet and down to earth. I left the building wanting to move there, live with the poor and simple of the world because those people are the people that truly love and truly live. I know that of course they are just like any people who make mistakes, but they seem to understand what makes life worth living. Just the simple things in life. The sun in the sky, the ground on which we tread, the food that we may buy or grow in their case. It makes me want to buy a piece of land here, make my own farm, and just live as we once did long ago. There are times when I ache to live in the hills somewhere between washington and Idaho. The vast expanse of nothing, totally removed from the busy lights and loud noises of the cities. There are no shopping malls, there are no cars honking, no sign of human life. I want to build my own house, small and modest, and live off the land, in the middle of no where. We as humans have been doing it for centuries, why do we feel that we must change that? Become some higher more removed being that does not appreciate the raw land and the feeling of dirt on our hands and the aching of our backs after working so hard to plant a harvest. How about just living within our means? No more credit cards, shopping sprees where we buy more clothes than we have need, where we dont even know how to cook our own food. Its sad, and it almost gives me a headache just seeing how we have removed ourselves so much from where we should be.
What I wouldnt give to wake up before the sun, wrap my self up in an old wollen jacket, pull up my pants and walk into the faint light of the dawn with bare feet, feeling the soil welcome me with its tender touch. I would love to grab a hoe with my worn hands and work the ground until my body aches from the physical strain, feel the sweat roll down my body, feeling the warmth of the fiery sun. Then, after the day has been filled with labor and hard work I make my way into my home and sit on my couch and sip some soup and hear the fire crackeling. Read a book, relax, then fall into the embrace of a welcomed slumber. What I wouldnt give for such a life. I cant say I would need much else.