Grid Jumping: What’s Your Story?

I was in Boulder, Colorado last week, and I was fascinated by the number of residences that are now going “off the grid” – that is, going cold turkey off communal electricity, and generating their own using the sun or wind.

These folks have declared their independence from something that most of us just take for granted when we turn on the lights (or charge up our Blackberries).

This kind of “leap” really intrigued me – particularly the analogies that could be implied: a journey to non-conformity, a leap of faith, or a bold step into the unknown.

How often do we as humans go “off the grid”? I can think of one particular instance very clearly, when I was 18. I didn’t like the “grid” I was in, so I took my leap into the unknown when I left my home town to go to college 1,200 miles away. I wrote about this story in my post “Back to the Fork in the Road”. Here’s an excerpt:

It was a very cold night in late January 1978 – very cold. It was probably 25 below zero. I was halfway home that night after working the evening shift at the mall, and I had to change buses. I stood at the bus stop, with every stitch of clothing I owned wrapped around me (or so it seemed), and just shivered. “Gosh, this is horrible” , I thought. “I need to get out of this”.

I also thought about my young life at the time and where I was going. I felt strangely out of place in this town, and very restless. There was something tugging at me to make a change – a big change. I had just heard of a scholarship opportunity at a small university in San Antonio Texas the week before, and it really got me thinking. I had visited that area the summer before at a retreat sponsored by my high school, and it really struck my fancy. But it was 1,200 miles away – away from my family and friends.

But I sensed that if I stayed where I was, I wouldn’t be really happy with myself. I felt like there was something missing. And yes, I was really cold too. I thought of 70 degree days in January in South Texas. Boy that would be nice. But it’s so far away. I would really miss my family and a few close friends.

I was at a fork in the road that night, and little did I know what that decision would mean to me. As the wind howled and my shivering only worsened, my mind suddenly cleared and the path became clear – I had to leave. I was going to San Antonio. Even though I wouldn’t know a soul, I decided to take the risk and do it, and start over.

The bus finally came and as I finally could feel my face again I looked out the window of the bus and dreamed about the new horizons that were in front of me……………

It didn’t take me long to find another grid to settle into – but then, nine years later, I did it again.

Three years later, again.

Four years later, wouldn’t you know, I jumped again. And here I am, still in that grid, 14 years later.

So to put this analogy in my personal perspective, I guess I would say I’ve been a “grid jumper” – I’ve gone on and off several times on my quest for personal fulfillment. I sometimes fear that I could make one jump too many off of a grid, and just stay off, floating around like the dot on my (crude) illustration. But somehow, some way, I jump anyway.

Nevertheless, it started on that street corner in Milwaukee – the day I became a grid jumper.

My next thought is, how many other grid jumpers are out there, and what are their stories? What were the catalysts to get them to make the jump, especially the first one? And most importantly, what can we collectively learn from those experiences?

If you are a grid jumper, write a post about that first experience, and let me know about it by posting a comment. I’ll collate everything in a couple of weeks and see if we can find a collective thread (or two) to learn from.

Who knows- maybe we can all take a leap together to yet another grid!

Thanks, and have a great week!

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