Cliff Diving

I absolutely love this picture. It's just a little sketch, by JRR Tolkien actually (and found in J.R.R. Tolkien: Artist & Illustrator) but I think it's utterly charming. I realize that the glass-half-full view could be this rather blind character blithely walking off to plunge to his death, but personally I see this wonderful little figure stepping off the cliff because it's the only way to experience that starry-starry-night sky.

And yes, this is really to the point. Because what would you do if, just for example, you had a full year to carefully choose your particular cliff and to construct your own personal parachute? Or to put it more prosaically, what if you had a year to plan and a little, just a little, just enough to live on, money?

I mean, we all know what we think we'd do if we were suddenly and inexplicably revoltingly wealthy, but what if you had juuuuuust enough to get by in a decent amount of comfort (reasonably good cheese but not daily tins of caviar sort of thing; moderately-priced sensible car but not Bugatti Veyron) without actually HAVING to work, but really being a lot more comfy if you did?

Would you...

... move to a charming, but inexpensive town in your own country, buy an old house to fix up and get a job?

... take a freighter for New Zealand, find a plot of land and build a cozy little hobbit house?

... buy some acreage somewhere between a mountain and a forest and make your own log cabin?

... move to a totally new country (where you might or might not speak the language) and build or fix or buy a flat or...

If you could jump off a cliff, what kind of whirly, twirly, starry sky would you want to find?

Comments

[Earthenwitch]

I think it would either be buying a plot of land somewhere between a mountain and a forest, or New Zealand, based on those choices. Depends also on what you want, really - are you up for the self-build option? do you love your job? do you mind house-building taking over your life to a greater or lesser degree? what do you want to do at the end of the year? etc.

Sorry. [/Spanish Inquisition] ;)

[Amy]

Excellent drawing.

I adore my city [Cambridge, UK], I would stay here and buy a home. Maybe one that is slightly dilapidated so I can change it without feeling bad about destroying history.

Also, I would get that pack of dogs I've always wanted and get them breeding. So awesome.

[Megan]

Earthenwitch -
No worries. I've asked myself those (and a million other) questions over the last few months. I do like, not necessarily love, my job. I don't mind house-building taking over my life, I THINK (Augh! No experience!) I'm up for self-build, and so on, and so on. As for what I want to do at the end of the year? Ooooh... good one.

Amy - honestly? That sound idyllic and I would be right there with the dilapidated house AND the pack of dogs given the chance.

[overstretched frog]

cottage in new zealand with a round red hobbit door and a lion knocker and a pack of dogs...and SPACE