Bushed

Life in Isolation

‘Bushed’ is a Canadian slang and is defined as ‘mentally disturbed from living in isolation’. Sounds pretty unpleasant and not what someone strives to be! Yet, I subject myself to the conditions that cause it. The actual threat of becoming ‘bushed’ isn’t a concern to me. I am a bit weird, but that’s just me.

I spend a lot of time by myself. I always have, it’s what I’m used to. I grew up as a ‘farm kid’. My brother and I spent our time playing in the field, climbing trees and simply poking around. Sometimes I’d visit the neighbours. They lived on a 200-acre property so visiting them meant crossing the road and following the tree line for about a half kilometre. I remember it like something from a storybook, catching frogs and exploring along the way.

The simplicity of those times is something that I truly miss. Being so bored that you pick up a book you’re not even interested in, just to end up enjoying it. Wondering at a thing and not being able to plug it into a phone - suddenly knowing everything about it. Connecting with people in person wholeheartedly and without distraction.

That said, having internet has been a major help. On the property, we use it to figure out how to build things, look for inspiration, order things on Amazon or keep connected at Christmas. I can’t deny that it’s been an asset. Sometimes it encroaches on our happiness and I feel like turning it off but, keeping connected to some degree through those winter months is nice.

Though we don’t have any neighbours and rarely see anyone in person, the internet connects us. When the wind is right I can hear the highway. Also, it’s a one-day hike to get to town. Hiking back is longer since it’s all uphill. In the summer I come and go as I please.

Time in isolation disturbs who we’re being but not who we are. It allows us to spend time with our own thoughts and causes us to look inward. It makes us more present in the actual world around us. It can be scary but ultimately I think that we become better versions of ourselves.

Through the pandemic we all experienced a kind of ‘getting bushed’. Stuck on our own islands, in our homes, sending smoke signals and ordering skip the dishes. Through that time we changed. In a good way in my opinion.

We prioritized things and people that are most important to us. We took the time to take walks and read books. We revelled in stupid shows like ‘Tiger King’. We made bread from scratch just to know that we could. I’m sure you remember, the grocery stores ran out of flour and yeast!

For a moment it was a touch like it used to be. If that’s ‘bushed’ then so be it.

Any coincidence that Busch Beer seems to have gotten popular in the last few years?