I’ve always loved log homes. There’s something about them that just speaks to me. For years, I have yearned to own a log home, preferably back in the woods on some acreage, where I could commune with nature and enjoy the peace and quiet. That would be the dream.
Back in 2022, I found a place similar to the one I had been conjuring in my mind over the previous years. The log home sat on 26 acres, and it was surrounded by hundreds of acres of undeveloped land. It was secluded, quiet, and it already had trails cut through the woods where I could hike. As soon as I saw it, I knew I had to have it. I made an offer, and just like that, my dream came true.
But dreams are funny things. What you dream about in your thirties or forties isn’t necessarily the same dream you have in your sixties. When I first started dreaming about living in a log home in the woods, I was married and had two young kids. On the surface, I dreamed of owning a log home. But deeper, below the surface, what I really wanted was a log home on some acreage that I could share with my wife and kids. Sadly, by the time I bought my place, I was divorced and my kids were grown. And as I quickly learned, my dream was never to live alone in the woods, log cabin or not.
As much as I love my home and the land it sits on, I view it differently now that it is mine than I did when it appeared to be the answer to a dream. For instance, as much as I like quiet and seclusion, my place is often too quiet since there’s no one here to talk to. And it’s too secluded. Unless I make an effort, I can go days without seeing another human being. As nice as that might sound on the surface, it’s not good to be that isolated. Once in a while? Sure. But not constantly.
I now know that owning a log home was not my dream. My dream was to share something I love—a lifestyle I hold near and dear to my heart—with my family. But the years have made that difficult, if not impossible. I’m no longer married, and my kids are out on their own. Never say never, but it’s unlikely the kids and I will ever live under the same roof again. And as I grow older, it has become increasingly important to me to be physically close to my kids and to spend as much time as possible with them.
With that in mind, I recently sold my log home and have purchased a new home near my kids in Tennessee. I look forward to getting into my new house (it won’t be completed until September) and to being around my kids again (I’m not sure they feel the same way 😉).
As for my log home and the wooded acreage, I’m going to miss it. I feel very fortunate to have lived in such a great home in such a beautiful area. But as I have learned from this experience, a house isn’t a home until you fill it with the people you love. Soon, I’ll be able to fill my new house with the two people I love most in this world, making my house into a home.
