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Hiya SuperForest! I was recently contacted on Facebook by a friend’s mother inquiring about my life here on Kauai. I am grateful for the opportunity to share this with her and with all of you.
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Dear Melissa: I don’t mean to pry into your life, it looks like a lot of fun. But how do you and yours support yourselves? I would love to live in Hawaii and just live off the land, but it looks harder than I think it would be. A lot of fun but that’s not how life really goes, is it?
Aloha!
Thank you so much for inquiring about my life! It’s great to hear from you!
One of the biggest differences here versus mainland US is that many people here see traditional capitalism; work for money, use money to live alone or with one or two others to create a sense of Independence and “make something of yourself” as an old and unsustainable way of life. Here, we have searched and found alternative ways of supporting ourselves. There are many work/trade opportunities that most mainlanders don’t know about or don’t believe is possible over there. Many people work 12-20 hrs a week on farms owned by other people in exchange for a place to live, showers, and food harvested from the land. These places to live are often just a place to put a tent, and most people live very minimally and simply. I don’t need much to live here. I could realistically survive with a backpack, a tent or hammock, two changes of clothes, and enough knowledge about the food that grows wild here. If I trust that the Universe will take care of me, then I will be taken care of with minimal effort. The traditional capitalistic model is one that thrives off of the idea of scarcity. And I now see and know that we, as Americans in a first world country live in total abundance, but only if we allow ourselves to see it, believe that we deserve it, and are willing to share our own abundance in whatever form that comes.
I, for instance, am a photographer, videographer, gardener, caretaker, nanny, manager, computer technician, mediator, counselor, house cleaner, etc. And when I find I need something I don’t already have or know how to do, I am able to trade my skills for others’ skills or goods. So when my friend, a hair stylist, needs someone to take care of her kids while she and her husband go to a party, I ask for a haircut in exchange. No need for money! 
That’s not to say that I never need money. But when I do, I am able to conjure up some way to make it or have it gifted to me. It’s all in how willing I am to play this new game. The old capitalistic/scarcity paradigm is boring and old to me. The new game of figuring it out as I go along with trust that I will be taken care of is much more entertaining. I have the freedom to create my own reality, without anyone else dictating how, when, where, who, why I am going to do it.
I am fully admittedly incredibly blessed to have the opportunity to explore this new way, to have people in the form of Ohana (extended family) all around me that love, support, and encourage this new way. And I want to share it with everyone that I know.
There is another way.
I hope you are happy and healthy and having so much fun!
Love + Aloha,
Melissa
What a beautiful post! I am so blessed to share this marvelous journey with you, lovely.
Melissa! You are standing so strong in your truth! I love it. Looking forward to seeing this beautiful life in person :)
I love you so much. I’m crying. I’m bawling.
I…
This is so inspiring and I’ve been thinking long and hard and this is just how I want to live.
Could I maybe have a one-on-one chat with you on how you did it sometime? My boyfriend and I…are not only terrified of capitalist, working-world America, but we don’t believe in it. This is something he and I would love more than anything.
http://www.facebook.com/eleventseven This is my facebook. Please fill me with wisdom, O joyous, enlightened one. I know it’s possible, and if it’s possible, I can do it. And I’m going to do it. As soon as…possible.
Thank you for this. You very well may have just saved me.
You are so lovely and amazing!
I would love to have a chat with you. I’ll add you on Facebook and maybe we can skype sometime soon. We don’t have Internet at home right now, save enough edge cell service to occasionally load one page or add one comment. We will have to make… Eeek… a Plan to talk. :)
You can make this life look however you want it to look!
Do you get to live for free on a farm in exchange for work? Or do you and Jackson pay rent?
It sounds almost feudal. Do you think that is a better model?
Aloha! Thank you for your questions.
We have been doing both of these things. At Zero One at Jesse’s House, we were doing purely a work/trade. There wasn’t an exchange of money nor were there set hours. It was a very freeflowing work environment. We each understood what needed doing to reach our long term vision, and each person following his or her bliss, doing what felt good for them in each moment, created a very well-oiled machine. Things were accomplished and there was always forward movement happening.
Now, we are at Zero One Love Gardens, where we are paying rent using money that was gifted by Jackson’s parents while we figure out a way to raise enough money to buy the land.
I can see how it would seem feudal, and in some ways it is. Work the land in exchange for a place to stay. However, in feudalism, the vassal’s principal obligation to the lord was to “aid”, or military service in exchange for the land itself. In our system, we are simply talking about an equal opportunity work agreement in which someone needs a place to sleep and put a few things and in exchange works the land for part of their time. 12-20 hours a week in exchange for a place to live, water and food ain’t half bad when I consider the many hours I used to work, often doing something I loathed so that I could make enough money for rent.
Feudalism was a system people used to acquire land. We’re just talking about an alternative to renting a space for money. I do think it’s a better model. I get to set my own hours, choose my daily tasks, have a space to call home, have fresh food and water and still go play at the beach.
Thank you for your reply and continued exploration. I was curious before, but now I’m just confused. I think what confuses me is that you are choosing to rent a space for money instead of taking advantage of the unique opportunities you mention. This is not an issue of do as I say, not as I do, but something more…
From my understanding, “lord” Jesse pulled the plug on the well oiled machine of his “peasants” 1 year into a 3 year deal at his whim alone. From what I read it was not received well. Imbalances in power and wealth often aren’t. Now you seek to exchange the dreaded american cash for an ownership interest in property. To what end? If a better system is currently out there, why not participate in it? Clearly, there are land owners willing to exchange their space for your help. Are they not doing it well enough? Not well enough that you still feel comfortable recommending this life path to others? I don’t see how you and Jackson aren’t just using his parents money to create your own sense of independence.
Please help! I must be missing something!
Just found this video, and thought it was utterly inspiring and pertains to this post.I’m sure all the superforesters would totally agree with it.
http://www.karmatube.org/videos.php?id=1829