Adulthood isn’t about having all the answers—it’s about learning as you go

There’s a funny thing about adulthood — it doesn’t arrive all at once. It sneaks in slowly, often through the small, unglamorous moments that no one prepares you for. For me, it wasn’t signing a mortgage, buying a washer and dryer, or filing taxes that made me feel like an adult. It was homesteading.

The First Time I Made a “Real” Decision

I remember the first time I had to make a tough call about one of our animals. A chicken had fallen ill, and despite all my care and research, I had to decide what to do next. It wasn’t easy — in fact, it felt like the kind of decision grown-ups make, the kind that carries real weight. That moment, standing in the coop with my heart in my throat, was the first time I truly realized the responsibility that comes with this life.

Homesteading forces you to grow up in a way few other things do. You become the one who fixes things when they break, comforts animals when they’re hurt, and makes the hard calls when no one else can.

The Bills, the Planning, and the “Figure It Out” Mindset

When you’re running a homestead, there’s no one to call when the water line freezes or when a hive needs emergency care. You just figure it out — usually in the rain, with mud on your boots and a chicken watching you like you’re the evening entertainment.

I’ve learned how to budget for feed, how to plan out a year’s worth of planting, and how to stretch every resource just a little further. Those are the quiet, grown-up skills that no one brags about — but they’re what keep the homestead alive.

The Joy in the Work

What surprised me most was how fulfilling it feels to earn something through your own work. The first egg of the season, the first honey harvest, the first time a seedling pushes through the soil — each of these moments feels like a paycheck from nature herself.

And maybe that’s the heart of feeling like an adult: realizing that the most meaningful rewards don’t come instantly. They take work, patience, and care.

The Little Things That Changed Everything

There are small, funny milestones too — like realizing you get excited about compost, or that you now schedule weekends around weather patterns. Or the day you start saying things like, “We really need to rotate the crops earlier next year,” and mean it.

I used to think being an adult meant having everything figured out. But homesteading taught me that it’s really about being willing to learn, to fail, and to keep going anyway — muddy boots and all.