Living in the Middle of Nowhere

When I made the decision last fall to stay in Healy, Alaska (according to the Census Bureau, the measure square mileage of 669.1 miles and population 971, thanks Wikipedia!), I was scared. Well, not at first. I thought it would be exciting to do something different. Before I spent an entire winter in Alaska, I thought it was gonna be so hard, so trying, so desperately arduous that I might not survive. Then in 2006, I took the plunge and stayed. Really out of necessity to my job moving to full-time status rather than seasonal.
It really wasn't different. The only hard part that I had to prevail through was long-stretching periods of darkness. I was still able to go to Wal-Mart, pick through racks at thrift stores, watch movies, and went out to dinner. It snowed and I had to shovel. No biggie. I did that in Kansas growing up.
Anyway, back to fall 2009, I longed for something different. I was tired of picking up all of my stuff and moving into a temporary place. So I asked to stay at employee housing in Healy. When people found out I was staying, I would get all kinds of responses, but essentially they all meant the same thing. It was like they were shouting, "YOU ARE NUTS". The big joke was that I was gonna grow a beard.
Well, I can say that I have successfully made it to March. I haven't gone nuts. I have learned how to ration milk and stock up when I can. I learned to take a cooler with me to town for groceries and to pack a bag with food and extra clothes in case I get stranded. I learned to not forget to plug in my truck and to not take my truck out of 4 wheel drive, as it could freeze in 2 wheel drive! I learned that 40 below for weeks straight is tough, but I am tougher. Just bundle up before you go!
More importantly I have learned that you don't need much of anything to survive and be happy. When you have the scriptures, a place to meet with the Saints and the opportunity to get a blessing now and again, then you have it all. The only thing that is missing is someone to share that with. Maybe someday. Until now, I am working on learning how to be happy with what I have got.