Andrei Tanase

I’m Finding Home In The Wilderness

What is it like in Northern California? 

It is like a breath of fresh air
Every day.
Sometimes it snows,
And sometimes it rains,
One moment wild,
The next one is tame.
And yet, the air is always fresh,
Filling my lungs with life.
And the smell of log fires
Permeates the night,
Small pockets of starfire—
Burning, blazing bright.

When the morning comes.
What has passed is done.
The time to start new is here. 

We found this paradise beautiful and bare,
And now we’ve planted our roots down here.
You and I are two birds of a feather,
Waiting eagerly for our harvest together. 

Can you hear the woodpeckers welcoming us?
The deer, the bears, wild fowl everywhere,
I look over our land in awe and stare,
So blessed to be here with you. 

Why did you choose to move there? 

I came here to live life how I wanted.
To experience the seasons
And find all of my reasons
For living a life full of meaning.
I needed to slow down
To find the answers all around,
And I find them
Every time when
This land echoes my name. 

It’s like every step I have taken,
Every time I have fallen down
Was leading me to my calling
To this beautiful, vast land sprawling,
Teeming with so much life. 

40 acres to give all animals a home.
40 acres to ignore my phone
And the ridiculous need for a screen.
All I need here is the quiet and peace
And time to slow down,
To meditate and breathe. 

Why do you love it so much? 

I love it for all of its seasons,
For its determination to survive.
Marred by heat and the extremest drought,
We still found a home for us to carve out—
A reflection that we too will survive
And thrive when the timing is right.

There is snow in the Winter,
Mushrooms and wildflowers in Spring.
In fall, the leaves are all colors you cannot believe—
Red, orange, yellow, and green.
And summer,
Bright summer,
Brings unbearable heat. 

How does it feel to call it home? 

This was always meant to be my home.
I wish my family was here at times,
But I know this is where I belong.
This is where I was meant to be planted.
Where I am meant to stand and fall,
To give my all
Until I have nothing to give anyone anymore.
This is where I have laid down my roots
For my very first time,
And they will keep growing
Long after I’m gone—
My dreams and my legacy will continue on.