I was having a discussion with a coworker the other day because he was lamenting the fact that ‘city life’ was getting on his nerves. I couldn’t help but laugh. People love the ‘idea’ of living in the country, but do not really understand what it is all about. In a nutshell…it’s like having 2 full-time jobs.
It’s NOT all Skittles and rainbows! Here are a few examples: the roads are not maintained, the internet SUCKS (think dial-up), utilities are higher, you have to plan grocery runs and it turns into a half-day affair, you gas up twice a week if you commute and there’s a never-ending list of things to get done. Oh, and the major things…no police, no fire and no ambulance. You’re going to be waiting quite awhile for either.
We haven’t owned a TV for close to 15 years…we just don’t have time to sit down and watch it. We are ALWAYS busy. I get up at 4am just to write on this blog. You have to carve time from somewhere!
I certainly see the advantages to living in the city, everything is close by and accessible. You have infrastructure at your fingertips. And I’ve certainly run across the ‘city folks’ who move out to the country…but they try to bring the city with them and it rarely works out for them. Most of them leave in about a year and head back to town. I could get political here with the “Move to a Red State Movement” crap…but I won’t. Country folk aren’t keen on outsiders and you have to earn their acceptance…heed my words…you’d better blend in.
I’m not wired for city living. Never have been and never will be. I’m content to be self-reliant and rely on planning and effort to accomplish what I want or need to get done. And it’s laughable to hear country folk referred to as bumpkins and such. Most of my ‘neighbors’ have college degrees and are well versed and widely traveled. Appearances can be deceiving! We love it out here! No hustle and bustle and zero light pollution.
The main tenet out here amongst country dwellers is they just want to be left alone. And that’s a tough thing to do. City centers have the numbers via population and pass all kinds of laws, even county laws. Those laws may make perfect sense IN THE CITY, but are ridiculous and non-sensical out in the country. Definitely a ‘Catch-22’ sometimes.
I hope that gives you something to ponder if you’re on the fence about moving to the country.
NOTE: And for the city guy in his Mercedes banging on my gate asking me to sign a petition to get the road paved…YOU don’t belong out here, or more specifically, your car doesn’t belong out here! 4WD is the norm here for a reason…refer to paragraph 2! And for the record, that guy moved on after 6 months. You might say we’re judgmental…we think of it as being ‘selective.’
The road IS paved…sort of. I think it has 8-9 different shades of grey asphalt patches and gravel filled potholes lol.
Velox Seeker 