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rugercpl
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# Posted: 25 Jul 2014 18:00
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hermit? Solitarist? Nonconformist? Misanthrope? Recluse? Isolate? Eccentric? pariah? In my free time...I'm all of these things. In my professional life I'm almost the opposite . I own and operate a restaurant/pub.
Married life and raising a family just sort of passed me by. I was married once. I made some mistakes that caused irreconcilable differences. I've never even been that good with friends. I am at peace the most when I'm alone being productive, creative, learning, and rewarding myself. My small cabin brings me great comfort, without distraction from people and other influence. My professional life is very different. I am a restaurant owner...and that's like walking into snake pit at times. Any working chef will tell you...restaurant culture is insane. Ever read Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations? My life has been all of that....and all I want to do now is putter around my small cabin .....alone and away from it all. We are very lucky to have small cabins...it's a rule in a very unruly world. Crack open a can of Pabst, stand on the deck looking at trees and unspoiled earth, and plan my next little upgrade to the cabin, even if it means just straightening out the wood pile. It's my happy place...and no one's coming.
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neb
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# Posted: 25 Jul 2014 19:07 - Edited by: neb
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Oh yah!! I love solitude and isolation and crave it. I also have to play the opposite role for a living so hermit I become often.
It's not that I don't like people and I am very social but it's not the character I want to be.
I solo just about everything I do and you said it right I can be more productive and creative in what I'm trying o accomplish.
If I hear footsteps I walker faster and go further. LOL
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turkeyhunter
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# Posted: 25 Jul 2014 23:15 - Edited by: turkeyhunter
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"for sure and for certain to all of the above"
I go to my local camp...( cabin ) about 2 days a week,,,,25 mile drive one way
then if I go to my northern camp....it's on the road for 28 HOURS
I go there 1 to 3 times a year.
but love it...both camps are gated and no one stops by unless they call me on my cell( and if I answer lol )...and I meet them at the gate
I enjoy my quite time...in the fall a campfire and a "shot of fire ball" and I am good to go...
don't get me wrong I like my friends and love my family...BUT i like my quite time A LOT 
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OwenChristensen
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# Posted: 26 Jul 2014 07:34
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I always thought I was, but whenever I've stayed away very long I miss people. I think that's what keeps me from moving to the cabin full time. Yes, I get too much sometimes, then head to the woods. A few days later I'm all better, but I don't live in a crowded area either.
Owen
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Don_P
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# Posted: 26 Jul 2014 21:27
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I like my dog.
He supervised at the sawmill today, from the shade. I do enjoy working solo as much as possible but he's good company. I'm sure he's thinking "what the F are you working so hard for? Come hang out over here, it's cool, you're doing nothing but making dust and noise, and for what? you know the bugs are just going to eat that stuff up anyway. Let's go fetch me up some dinner, hang out on the porch and watch my pet deer heading for that salad bar you must have planted for them. He's good company.
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turkeyhunter
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# Posted: 26 Jul 2014 21:55 - Edited by: turkeyhunter
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Quoting: Don_P I like my dog
I hear ya....I take my dog to camp a lot He loves it at camp. Plus....he's is always happy to see ya. and never complains..lol while at camp or anywhere....
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countryred
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# Posted: 26 Jul 2014 22:15
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I deal with death and suffering at my job every day. Seeing people spend their last few months and days wasting away is tough. It pays well, I guess, but certainly makes you look at the the world, people, and life differently.
I do not like the big cities at all. I go to a Cards game every few years but that's about it. I avoid rush hour traffic at all costs.
Put me in the woods, the lake, or the river and I am just fine. My blood pressure and stress levels go to nil. Working on our property doesn't seem like work at all. Sitting around a camp fire watching a big log slowly burn in to red glowing coals and sipping sweet tea while listening to coyotes, owls, tree frogs, and whippoorwills is almost heaven.
I am married to my best friend and she loves the place and the outdoors just as much as I do.
So, I guess I do like people,just in small numbers. And on my terms.
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rugercpl
Member
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# Posted: 27 Jul 2014 01:38
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I love that thank you
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cabingal3
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# Posted: 27 Jul 2014 01:49
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i would love to be trying to not have so much family for a while.lol.
it seems we always have people calling .coming over and such.
my one son calls me about 10 times a day.my daughter is here living with us.she brings the grandsons over every weekend.my drunk brother calls all the time.my sister calls every day.
when i go to our cabin.it takes me about a day to relax.
i love solitude.i love nature.i would like to get a chance to actually miss some people...
i dont like crowds.
i am a home body and just always stay busy at my home and cabin.
i really dont need alot of money,people or things.
just my woods and cabin and the mister.
we figure we are gonna send the daughter and grandsons train tickets to come visit us to the woods at xmas.
maybe go visit our son a couple of times a year.
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hattie
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# Posted: 27 Jul 2014 12:47
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Before he passed, my Dad told me that if I moved up to the cabin I'd turn into a hermit. I think I have hermit tendencies. *LOL* Things changed a bit and we built a tiny motel onto our cabin because we would need a small source of income.
We only have 3 rooms to rent but we get tourists on a regular basis. I love interacting with them, but my favourite time of the year is the winter. The main reason for that is the quiet. Fewer people come here in the winter months.
I could never live in isolation. My husband and I tried that when our friend who lived up the mountain asked us to look after his place when he went on a trip. He was really isolated. It was dark - really dark - pitch black, you can't see your hand in front of your face, dark! That frightened me.
So I am happy to live in a tiny village with a population under 100. I enjoy interacting with tourists and guests, but I also like my quiet. We are lucky here in that the people who live here also enjoy their quiet time. If you need help, they will come running, but otherwise most locals keep to themselves.
Come on winter! I'm ready for some quiet. *LOL*
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Gary O
Member
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# Posted: 27 Jul 2014 13:22
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'Lone wolf'? I don't think I am....lone hyena......maybe.
Depends on the volume of beans and sriracha.
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neb
Member
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# Posted: 27 Jul 2014 13:57
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hattie
I can relate to winter just love it. Things tend to slow down and seem more relaxed and I love winter outdoor activities. Hikes in the winter there is nothing better on a crisp snowy day.
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Wilbour
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# Posted: 27 Jul 2014 14:08
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While I may seem like the most social person at work wnd social gatherings, the more people I meet, the more I realize how different I see things. I do believed in being as self reliant as possible. I am more than happy to help others but prefer to do things by myself with my wife of course.
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MountainMama
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# Posted: 27 Jul 2014 14:36
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I tend toward being hermit-like, and appreciate the seclusion of my property. While there are a handful of people up there, the area where I'll actually be living is largely unpopulated unless I want to wander into 'town'...I say that sorta tongue in cheek as the town population in 2013 was around 230. I can't imagine that's changed much.
I'm a retired teacher, so have had my fill of people...all ages. My space...my terms...my peace of mind. Don't feel a need to have others too close to that.
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creeky
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# Posted: 27 Jul 2014 17:39
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Quoting: rugercpl hermit? Solitarist? Nonconformist? Misanthrope? Recluse? Isolate? Eccentric? pariah?
I have been/am all of these things.
For myself I would add to the list "creative" "artistic" "inventive" "cursed with a perception of structural anomalies"
and more than happy to crack open my favorite beverage and stand on the deck watching, and listening to the sounds, of a complex civilization that far predates man.
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lawnjocky
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# Posted: 27 Jul 2014 19:52
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Screw people, I just want to be at my small cabin at an undisclosed location in New Mexico to work on my manifesto. No interruptions except for my occasional gun fire.
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Jim in NB
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# Posted: 28 Jul 2014 08:44
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Complex subject - and an interesting one to day dream about when I get back to the lake alone .... For some reason there seems to be such a negative conitation with hermits, solitude .... likely by the multitudes who really don't like having the time to analyze their own character!! LOL!
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Malamute
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# Posted: 28 Jul 2014 12:37 - Edited by: Malamute
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I live alone, and am alone much of the time, but don't think of myself as a loner or hermit by any means. I like people, but don't needs scads of them to be happy. I think a big part of the reason I'm alone is where I live. Few women truly want to live where I do. It isn't howling wilderness by any means, but is pretty sparsely populated and on the edge of some wild country.
Going to town once or twice a week is enough for me. I like the town and the people there, but am always happy when I get to go home. The night sky is amazing, the few insecurity lights in the area aren't intrusive, and seeing critters in the yard all the time is great. Being a couple miles from fantastic places to walk, shoot, goof off, watch wildlife and such is also part of what like here.
I get enough people time working on peoples houses in the area. The quiet of home is really nice at the end of the day. And yes, a dog is great company, though they don't replace people, or a certain special person.
I'd perhaps identify with the wolf part, but probably not the lone part.
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bldginsp
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# Posted: 28 Jul 2014 13:36 - Edited by: bldginsp
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There are few lone wolves, wolves are social creatures generally, though occasionally one will break off and go off alone, but usually for the purpose of finding a mate.
No wolves were known to be in the state of California for some time until recently one split off from a pack in Oregon and wandered northern Cal. for a while before returning to Oregon. They called him OR7. Here's a link:
http://www.dfg.ca.gov/wildlife/nongame/wolf/OR7story.html
Oh, and the most unhappy times of my life were when I thought I was a lone wolf. Maybe that's why OR 7 returned to Oregon. He didn't want to be a lone wolf.
But I do value being alone sometimes. In the city in my condo complex there are 104 families on 9 acres. At my property in the Sierras I have 5 acres to myself, surrounded by unoccupied properties. Very peaceful.
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Truecabin
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# Posted: 28 Jul 2014 16:09
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when im at my cabin i always want people to come visit because i work so hard making the place look nice i need somebody to share it with
then when they do come i want to sit on the porch and have a beer but there dogs spend the whole time racing around the cabin terrorizing my chipmunks and me too
and digging up the last three blades of grass that ive been carefully watering and trying to keep growing another season
then when they complain about the road and i find out they are afraid to use an outhouse i find most cabin visitors are overrated it takes a pretty special kind to be the right kind for cabin life
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neb
Member
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# Posted: 28 Jul 2014 21:23
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Malamute
Not to take away from this post but I'd like to say great picture and that is my kind of country. Nice!!
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Pookie129
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# Posted: 28 Jul 2014 21:39 - Edited by: Pookie129
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As I learn more about myself, and about others, I find that I prefer to be alone. My job is incredibly stressful and I see people during times of crisis, difficulty and crossroads - and it can be soul, mind and spirit sucking. I love helping people and problem solving but it does take a toll and it can leave you demoralized or depressed from time to time.
I also find that I do not really like where most of main stream society is headed, and that we seem to have our priorities in the wrong place and on the wrong things.
As common sense becomes more uncommon, and courtesy, mutual respect and personal ownership and accountability continues to decline, I definitely find myself more inclined to isolate myself from people and this overstimulation of technology and consumerism.
Although I do prefer to be alone, surrounded by nature and most certain at my cabin/camp - you generally won't find me without my dog.
The more people I meet - the more I love my dog. He is a remarkable character with an incredible heart and he appears to have an endless capacity to listen without judgment
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PA_Bound
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# Posted: 29 Jul 2014 13:15 - Edited by: PA_Bound
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So I read down through all these posts, and up to recently would have agreed with many of them. But recently I was confronted with circumstances that cause me to offer an alternative position.
A few months ago my wife was diagnosed with cancer. It is somewhat advanced, and required immediate, aggressive treatment- which we are in the throws of now. One aspect of that challenge that has amazed me is the number of people, some I barely or don't even know, that have rallied around my wife and my family during this tough time. Between people bringing us food, taking my wife to appointments when my work conflicts, hauling my daughter places when I need to be someplace else, cutting my grass when it gets long and I can't get it done,... I've had people do all of this and more, without even being asked.
All of this has left me unable to imagine how anyone could go through a crisis like cancer without other people around to help. So while I'm sure I will still enjoy the solitude of my cabin, and even though I still don't like the direction the country seems to be going, I have been reminded that most people are fundamentally good and that it can be a real blessing at times to have them around.
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bldginsp
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# Posted: 29 Jul 2014 16:06
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The image we have in our culture of the lone, independent high plains drifter is just that- an image, that people affect, for their own reasons.
Humans are social creatures, you can force yourself not to be, but I always wonder what the reasons for that are. I won't speculate.
'The Man With No Name' in those old Clint Eastwood films could never exist in reality, and neither can we. You and I are totally dependent upon the local grocery store, gasoline station, and other services to maintain our 'independence' on our remote or not-so-remote properties.
Reminds me of small children that want to be totally independent of their parents, so long as they are no more than 15 feet away.
I don't want to grow old and die alone like Michael Corleone.
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bobrok
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# Posted: 29 Jul 2014 20:39
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PA_Bound:
The wisdom of your post gives me pause to reflect and makes me realize that the human race is, far and away, the Lord's most wonderful creation.
Best wishes.
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Flying Wrench
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# Posted: 30 Jul 2014 12:54
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I consider myself to be a loner. I lived by myself for a few years, but now I live in a house with some good friends. Looking back on the experience of living alone in an old mobile home, I can't say I want to go back to that. Still, I really want a small, quiet place of my own to go to.
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CaptCanuck
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# Posted: 30 Jul 2014 22:21
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I'm social, but I like my alone time...no question.
Introverts aren't necessarily loners per se. This describes my mindset very closely.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pi1bDAPxoWY
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smithk
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# Posted: 31 Jul 2014 09:59
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I remember as a child hearing an old friend from Wisconsin (he lived on an island on Lake Superior) say this:
"I have no wife to bother my life,
No friend to prove untrue,
But wherever I go no man shall know,
For I paddle my own canoe".
Al Galazan
He was a very interesting person. He has a museum named after him on the island. Although he very much appreciated people but he liked the solitude and views that his lifestyle offered.
I appreciate my time alone but I appreciate it just as much watching my wife and two boys enjoy themselves while at our cabin as well. But a few hours here and there is very special too.
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Malamute
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# Posted: 31 Jul 2014 14:03
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Quoting: bldginsp The image we have in our culture of the lone, independent high plains drifter is just that- an image, that people affect, for their own reasons. Humans are social creatures, you can force yourself not to be, but I always wonder what the reasons for that are. I won't speculate. 'The Man With No Name' in those old Clint Eastwood films could never exist in reality, and neither can we. You and I are totally dependent upon the local grocery store, gasoline station, and other services to maintain our 'independence' on our remote or not-so-remote properties. Reminds me of small children that want to be totally independent of their parents, so long as they are no more than 15 feet away.
Interesting perspective. I never took any of those type films or loner characterizations to mean they had zero need for or interaction with other humans, and certainly not in the realm of supplies, and basic business of life. I think it would be more accurate to say they had little or no attachment, and less socialization, but I never thought of it as zero human interaction or contact, and completely self sufficient in daily needs/supplies.
The Mountain Men/trappers of the 1820's-1840's, who could be characterized as some of the most independent individuals known, couldn't be said to had zero human interaction or need for things other people had. They were doing a business, making a living, that still required them to deal with people to trade their wares and get supplies. Many of us admire their lifestyle, self reliance and mental toughness, but they weren't ever completely self sufficient, materially or socially.
Some people do fine with radically different amounts of socialization and human contact than the average. Some may have personality problems that they express in solitary living, they can function with far less interaction than most people. None are completely self sufficient in physical aspects. Still, I'm not aware of any individual or class that had zero need for others in any way.
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neb
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# Posted: 31 Jul 2014 15:30 - Edited by: neb
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Quoting: Malamute Some people do fine with radically different amounts of socialization and human contact than the average. Some may have personality problems that they express in solitary living, they can function with far less interaction than most people. None are completely self sufficient in physical aspects. Still, I'm not aware of any individual or class that had zero need for others in any way.
Exactly and well put.
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