What does it mean to Sustainably live in Place?

This is a phrase we coined as opposed to Aging in place. Have you looked up the definition of aging? Allow me to share some of its synonyms of aging. Crumbling, declining, fading, fermenting, maturing, mellowing, slumping, stale, waning, and last but surely not least wearing out.

There is not one word there that I would like to have associated with me. So the supposedly comforting statement to, “Aging in Place” is no longer comforting. As I sit here and crumble, and fade away. As I mature I am declining and slumping. I feel myself fermenting and turning stale. The moon and I have something in common half of the month. We are both waning. So you see, aging in place does not work for Jim or for me.

To sustain has quite different synonyms. Words such as Continue, Nourish, Prolong, Comfort, Support, Keep going, Provide for, Shore up. These are encouraging words that offer hope as we have birthday after birthday. These words offer the possibility the future is bright and we can make it into something that will help us live on.

We adopted these words when we realized the place we were living and building our gardens and infrastructures for our animals was not sustainable because the landlord held the power to set the rental rate and he saw house prices going up and houses selling, he knew he could get more. So he raised it by almost 10% this year and planned on 30% the next year. Clearly this was not sustainable. We could not find comfort here for a prolonged period. We could not keep going. We could not continue. That is when we came up with this praise, Sustainably Live In Place. See our YouTube VLOG on the subject.

So, what does it mean to you?

1. If you are young, save money in anyway you can. Make it a priority.
2. Get an education or vocation and continue to educate yourself to stay on top of your career.
3. Make family a priority so you have a support group and someone to share life with.
4. Eat right and exercise, keeping yourself healthy.

What does sustainably live in place mean for someone in their 50s, 60s, or older.

That is who the phrase was coined for but our lives would be much easier if we had done the four steps above. However, starting where ever you are at is where you are at. You may have money but not done very well with your health and are dealing with age-related diseases. You may have health but not money. What ever your situation, start today to make the rest of your life sustainable. But what does that mean?

Heartiness Approach emphasizes four areas.

1. Eat Real food, leaving processed food in the past
2. Make daily exercise a priority
3. Emotional Wellness is imperative because depression, anxiety, worry and stress are very common as we get older and they carry with them the same poor consequences as poor eating and no exercise. They lead to disease.
4. Incorporate some kind of a homestead. A homestead is where you are growing as much of your own food as possible so you understand the source, value and quality of the food. If you are unable to grow your own, knowing where to get homegrown food where you can look the farmer in the eye and know if he is growing safe food is the key.

These four areas are the bedrock of wellness and sustainably living in place. They do not cost a lot of money. They take time, education, determination, desire and consistency.

Sustainably living in place is not an optional project. It is the only step to living a long, happy, healthy life.

Therefore, you are ready to learn how.