Eighth Dimension: #89 A Further Resolve

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I miss being independant.

As daft as that sounds, I used to grow my own herbs, grow some vegetables, exchange them with neighbours who grew other vegetables, I had an area that lived and flourished because I looked after it. I even planted trees from rootlings taken from the bases of ones that grew in the avenue (And that REALLY confused my mother and neighbour when they found it!)

I've been accused plenty of times of nay-saying and being a really negative person - but to be honest, I just try and be realistic. I want a lot of things that I will never have - I want a large garden, I want many pets and I want a successful career and when I am older I will want a family of my own.

Yet I am a person who largely relies on another to ensure my safety and comfort. I am in essence dependant on others for basic survival. Every action I take has to be weighed against the need for retaining this energy for later. Pain is simply tiring.

Would I be able to maintain a garden knowing that later in the evening I will have to feed all the animals? Would I be able to manage a routine that ensures the care and welfare of the animals I would like to own in the future? If I can't then who will?

So I've been reading up on different options. For animals the answer is simpler to accrue them gradually so that I am able to get in a routine for each one I obtain, animals such as fish, reptiles and cats are largely self sustaining I just have to ensure they are fed in a timely manner and any regular maintenance is kept to schedule. As someone who has to take medications at regular intervals and used to be on strict regimes of on X day you must do Y until I was a teenager I think that will not be much of an issue. Animals such as dogs, I would not be able to provide sufficient exersize for. Rabbits, guinea pigs and the like will need a home or garden suitable for them and will need time out from their hutches. I have housetrained rabbits previously (My mother is much better at it admittedly) so the main issue will be bunny-proofing.

Which leads to gardening. Realistically gardening will be a hazard for me, let's be honest. I would most likely need to adapt a garden to have any plants on a higher level so that I can sit in a chair to look after them. So majority plant containers or layered beds that are fronted and raised, which can in some instances look very attractive. An alternative is complementary gardening and forest gardening. This is where the plants are grown 'native' in combinations where the plants provide a benefit to each other (for example some plants are resistant and repel certain bugs that other flowers are prone to - so plant them together) it also means creating a small eco system in the garden which allows for plants to require less grooming and much less weeding. I can certainly go for that!

Risks would be separating edible plants. Due to the desire to have pets there will be a need to ensure bunnies don't nibble the herbs or anything toxic to them (Rabbits notoriously will eat themselves sick afterall), also it's easier to keep everything that needs regular checking and harvesting in one area so I don't have to amble off far.

A career ideally I want in on the games industry, but software development may have to be a settlement. In practice this will mean dealing with 'the crunch' and also a risk of high stress and high travel work (Which for some reason I WANT?!) However the benefits of being in a software based industry is - Taking Work Home. Video conferencing, skype, etc all open up avenues for working from home and holding meetings at unusual times and venues as well as office work and personal meetings. On days where moving is not an option I could be assisted to a study in the morning where I can work until the other half comes home and helps me relocate if I still need assistance. The difficulty would be progression through the career - performance is harder to rate for someone who works from home regularly which would make promotion prospects slimmer and would also require an open minded employer or an employer I am already familiar with and have earned respect and benefits from. It will have to be a consideration after university more than right here and now though.

Family of course being far in the future from now and something I will have to evaluate based on my own degeneration.