I want to retire and live on a farm

“Even as a little girl, whenever people asked me about my dreams, I’d say, ‘I want to retire and live on a farm.’ The city life wasn’t for me. And so, when I met Avin and found out he had the same dream, I knew he was my life partner; we got married within a year. As newlyweds, we had plans of travelling, and working towards building our farmhouse.

But a month into the marriage, I got pregnant, that too with twins! Having kids wasn’t a part of our plan, at least not that quick. So, we had to make amends. The moment they came into the world, everything else was put on hold.

When they were 5 months old, the sleepless nights started taking a toll on me and I felt claustrophobic; I knew I needed to be around nature to feel sane. And so, the 4 of us took our first family trip! That trip, albeit short, was rewarding! I realised that even the twins weren’t as fussy when on the road, so soon, these getaways became our way of life. And that’s how the kids spent their infant years.

But when they turned 2, suddenly everyone had questions, ‘Which school have you decided on?’, ‘Did you check the new courses?’ I was baffled! My kids couldn’t even string sentences together, but they were already a part of the rat race. We didn’t want that for them so, after multiple conversations, Avin and I decided to home-school them.

We met other parents, dug deeper and within a year, we knew we’d made the right decision. The kids set their own pace– whether it came to learning numbers or alphabets. This even gave us the freedom to live on our own terms. But I still didn’t like the fact that we were living in the city. And then one day, I asked Avin, ‘How do you know we’ll be alive by 60? What are we waiting for?’ Avin gave it some thought and said, ‘Okay, let’s live that farm life!’

We decided to test the waters and initially stayed at a friend’s farm. Avin quit his job and started freelancing. And we ended up staying there for a year. And what a year it was! The kids loved cycling around and bathing in the nearby lake. When we got back, they were disheartened. So, we took a loan, used our savings, and converted our village land into a farmhouse.

We moved there a year ago, around the twins’ 7th birthday. It’s an organic way of life– we grow our own food, and live in a mud house. And the kids are learning more this way– they understand pollination, they’ve seen a seed grow into a tree. And the best part is, they don’t care about gadgets–they’d much rather be jumping into a stream.

I read somewhere, ‘To live your dream, live a tiny bit of it everyday.’ And I guess that’s what we’re trying to do. We don’t know what the future holds, we never will. But what we have here is raw and simple– it’s all heart and that’s the kind of life we want to keep living.”