There are innumerable reasons we all love our family’s farms, ranches, plantations, timberlands, and even 40 to 60 acre tracts. There are miles to hike, walk, ride, bike or drive. There are waters to fish, game to hunt and of course, countless projects that need to get done. But best of all, there’s space, fresh air and a healthy place to sequester and be content with being there.
Now enter the new normal: this world of social distancing. Here’s what I’ve experienced. I love my family immeasurably, HOWEVER here we are…all together…for a while. May I say that a little social distance from one or another of them is vital to our enjoying being a family. Here’s what I’ve seen: somehow it is sport (and great entertainment) for one sibling to watch another get annoyed, which, in turn, drives parents or other family members berserk … which generously leads to a larger, more universal annoyance level family-wide. It’s called cabin fever, and it is powerful. It can be as simple as one sibling breathing loudly on purpose simply to make another insane. Or maybe just the way one yawns begins to annoy another. Now that’s with children; the picking can be far more sophisticated and potentially damaging the older the family members are. Sound at all familiar?
I grew up with three brothers on the South Carolina farm where I’m sitting and reflecting right now. Our property is graced with acres of timber and open fields, a long stretch of river frontage, some fresh water ponds, and even a direct 15 minute boat ride to the Atlantic. Little did my father know when he purchased the property all those years ago that it would become a safe haven from a global pandemic. It’s far from just a safe haven, it’s more like a safe heaven. The kids and their cousins do their school work and then run freely for hours outside – where there’s enough space that they’re not picking, they’re playing. My siblings and their 20-30 year old sons and daughters are also here. We’re doing our best to avoid the grocery store with food from the garden and game from the freezer. We’re working on farm projects that have been put aside because there was never enough time. There are turkey hunts, trail rides, fishing, boating, and hey, it’s even soft shell crab season.
Everyone is active, even busy. In a time so incredibly uncertain, there’s a calm here, and we have this property and my dad’s vision for his legacy to thank for that. And here at Live Water Properties, we are hearing many stories from other landowners we know. The theme is the same: our property has given us space, activities, and a way to enjoy life as a family in this strange time of social distancing. It’s rewarding for us as brokers to hear from them as they share what we’re experiencing ourselves: land ownership these days has become far more rewarding than any of us could have ever considered.
