Summer is over in the Arctic and we are well underway into fall. Colors are changing on the leaves and it's finally dark again. I haven't seen them but we the first stars, since the end of April, were able to have been seen as of the 10th this month. Things are plodding along. I spent much of July still recovering from the race in June and am happy to say that I am back to about 99% of full health. Financially, things are still going OK. I saved 90% of my pay in July. I've also picked and stored just over 10 gallons of blueberries in the past few weeks. I'd like to get a few more but we'll see. I'm tired of picking berries.
![Image](https://c4.staticflickr.com/9/8576/28346640043_a5f2344f0f_z.jpg)
It doesn't get much better than this.
I find myself at a crossroads. I'm burnt out on my current job. The work is repetitive and basic. There hasn't been any growth in this department for some time. I don't think I place much identity in my work, but I'd like to do something that provides value if it takes up a good portion of my days.
Under my current plan, I'd live in this area in the cabin mentioned above, but only work for about a month or so over winter during the busy aurora season. I'd have lots of time for reading, learning and enjoying the surrounding area. I'm also planning on going on some longer ski trips and a bigger trip next summer. There are some downsides to this plan that I've somewhat sidestepped.
1.Limited financial viability going forward. There is not much economic opportunity available up here. Everything essentially centers around tourism, with a fairly decent sized number of people travelling through the area for about 5 months of the year (4 busy mos in summer, 1 in winter).
2. Social isolation- The area I currently live is somewhat of a shared living situation. There are about 40 people living here in the summer. Everyone lives close by and there are opportunities to eat and socialize with others whenever you want. In the area where the cabin is, there are 12 people divided into 5 different households. It's much more individualized. Everyone knows each other and is generally friendly (and I get on great with a few of them) but social interaction is limited. I'd imagine that most days living there it'd be interaction with others for maybe 10-15 min/day with some days potentially being 2-3 hrs. This thought has worried me since the guy agreed to let me "rent" the cabin. There's potential for dissatisfaction and interpersonal regression, which I am worried about.
So the idea that has been going through my mind is moving to Anchorage. I think I'd pursue an electrician apprenticeship with work on the side in different fields. Try to find and buy a fourplex, live in one unit and rent the rest out. The advantages of this idea (in moving) would be a greater likelihood of finding a community/others to participate in outdoor activities with, ability to learn new skills and greater financial success than in my current position. The cons would be leaving this area to live in an urban setting and having to give up the idea of longer outdoor trips for about 4-5 years.
There aren't many people that I can relate to and would understand the different aspects of my life that would play into a decision like this, which makes a decision like this fairly difficult. I love the area I'm in now and have a good amount of social capital built up, but it's not looking viable at the moment. I feel like this is a somewhat similar situation that Mike from LackingAmbition faced after his year in the desert. I've found somewhat of an ideal area, but not from an economic perspective. Is it worthwhile to go away for a few years and be able to come back in a better position later? Will I want to come back? Will I still want to do longer trips then?
These are all questions that I'm trying to wrestle with at the moment. Human feelings and attitudes are somewhat of a wonder. During and after the race for a couple weeks I felt as if I reached the pinnacle of life. The peak of fulfillment. That has waned down and now I find myself in search of fulfillment again. Such is life I guess.