The advantages of country living

Take a deep breath of air the next time you're out and about in Ripon, the definition of a small town. What is that you feel in your lungs? Fumes? Hot dog stands? No, America. You see, my compatriot Geoff, will tell you that the big city (he has a Milwaukee addiction) is better than small town-country living. While I'll completely admit that cities have their place, ultimately small town-country living is the way to go for a home and lifestyle. 

Cities are functional for a few main purposes. They're a destination. They're the source of major restaurants, businesses and forms of entertainment. While small-towns have these, they generally lack the variety and in some situations quality. Cities are also a great place for employment due to the compact and stackable nature of cities (office buildings and etc, you get it). While it'd be wonderful for a country farmer to have his own accountant in the barn next to the cows, it's not logical. In conclusion though, these exact reasons are what deter me from thinking living in a city is a great idea. 

While the city offers variety and a multitude of different activities, a city never sleeps. It's in a constant state of motion and sound and life. So after a long day at work in the city already, you're forced to turn up the volume on your television to drown out the cars driving by and the sounds of your neighbor's dog who obviously has to go to the bathroom, but they're out to dinner. The only way people who live in the city can escape is by finding some form of transportation into the country for small daily excursions or vacations and even then the relief and relaxation is only temporary.

What the country lacks is actually its greatest quality. The empty rolling hills, the forests and the fields are what make the country a great place to live. Now I know what some of you are thinking, especially now that we're back in Ripon with its shops that close at 9 p.m., the limited selection of restaurants and the theatre that only has one movie at a time. You're thinking: how could something that lacks exciting and fun things make it better? When I'm home for breaks and summer I work in Fond du Lac, which while it is not the biggest city, is a city nonetheless. After driving around crazy drivers and dealing with long lines at Wal-Mart, there is nothing better than going home to the middle of nowhere and experiencing the pure quiet of the country. 

Sure, I enjoy eating out and movies as much as the next guy, but going to the city every now and then makes it a special occasion and something different. But when I'm home away from all that I'm 100% at peace. Country life is the best escape from the day. It allows you to have the best of both worlds without having to compromise the majority of your life to noisiness and busyness. 

To put it simply, cities are fantastic for work and play, but they get old after awhile. They're inescapable and take away from some of life's greatest features. The quiet and quaint small town-country lifestyle is the best place to call home. While not always exciting and grand, they're relaxing and reveal some of life's greatest spectacles. I'll never forget, freshman year I was walking with a friend from the city and we were approaching the campus graveyard. In a patch of grass on the hill, there was a mother doe with an older fawn, just standing there. This was the first time she had ever seen a deer in person and not from television or a book. The look in her eye was priceless. As I said, I'll never forget that because it was a reminder of how the simplest thing can make the biggest impression. That's how small town-country life is, not overly complicated but still just as powerful and striking as life in the city, just in a different way.