Country Living

Being the city girl that I am (though I always wanted to be a country girl), I have found it quite intriguing to finally live in the country. I must admit there was a certain amount of culture shock in moving from suburbia to the "middle of nowhere." Remember, there are only about 1,150 people in our town and around 11,000 in the largest town near us. This after living in a town with a population of 28,000 surrounded by other cities with the same or larger numbers.

A few weeks ago when we were back in suburbia for a meeting - and not too far from where we used to live - we were oohing and aahing at all the stores we passed, though we didn't have time to shop at any of them. We were fondly remembering the time when just about any store or restaurant we could possibly want (and sometimes two of the same) was 15 min. or less from home.

But there are benefits to country living:

Lack of advertising. Although we get a chuckle from some of the corny local commercials, we are a lot less inundated with inappropriate viewing. We also don't see billboards. Unless you count the deer crossing signs or exit signs on the interstate. While in suburbia I saw many inappropriate pictures adverstising anything from adult clubs to department stores. No thanks.

We've got your back. People here are much more likely to lend a hand, stop if you need help, or keep their eye out for you. When I hit the deer, two people stopped to make sure I was okay. One night as we were driving home from church, we saw a car stopped the opposite direction with smoke/steam coming out the front. We were planning to stop, but one of the cars ahead of us beat us to the punch and were already turning around.

Let's go to the movies. For less than one person can normally go to the movies, our whole family can go to the local theatre. There's only one movie at a time so everyone "knows what you are going to see" - which was always one of the reasons I was taught we don't go (no one will know if you are seeing a good movie or a bad movie). The owner is a Christian and they normally only show family friendly films. I have seen a couple I wouldn't prefer to see, but normally that isn't the case. We took the older two boys last night and the place was filled with families. You could hear the chatter of children, the rustling of popcorn bags, and even the noises of a baby. There was definitely a feeling of community.

Friendly is as friendly does. People are much more likely to take time to talk to a complete stranger. They will greet the children, ask their names, and make compliments about the baby. My mom took us to Salvation Army the other day and as a woman walked into the store, she said, "I've got to see this baby." She walked over, chatted with Dawson for a few moments while admiring his smile and dimples, and then proceeded to shop. Our neighbor has voluntarily plowed out our driveway during large snows. This has saved us hours of shoveling as we have had a record breaking amount of snow. Without a snowblower and with a longer driveway, this has been a huge blessing.

Oh be careful little tongue what you say. People are far less likely to gossip or badmouth others. Not that it doesn't happen at all, but people are inter-connected in so many ways they are far less likely to voice criticisms, etc. I mentioned this to someone one day and she told me it had actually happened to someone she knew. Two ladies were talking and one of the ladies said something negative about someone she knew. The other lady replied, "She's my cousin." Oops. The Six Degrees of Separation principle certainly holds true around here. At times I think it might be Two or Three Degrees of Separation.

This is my Father's world. It is so easy to look around us and see the handiwork of God's creation. I can look out my kitchen window and see the sunset. Just about anywhere we go we can see rolling hills and farm animals. We have a hawk whose lonely cry I can hear as he flys over our house. As we look out the back of our home all we can see is a rising hill and trees.

The tortoise and the hare. There is most certainly a more harried pace to city living. People here seem much more willing to pass the time of day talking to someone they run into in the store or fellowshipping after church. Even in a restaurant the servers tend to be more friendly and talkative rather than seeing how quickly they can get you in, get you to pay, and get you out. It is not that folks here do not have things to do and places to go, they just seem more willing to prioritize their relationships with others.

Although at times I do miss the convenience and ease of city living, I have learned to appreciate the finer points of country living. I don't know whether I would call myself a city girl or a country girl any more.....maybe I'm a little of both.