City Living

I quite enjoyed the friendly debate we had the other night about city vs. rural living. I've put a lot of thought into this, actually, after moving out of Iowa four years ago. The state is almost entirely rural - farm after farm, a Kum & Go littered here and there. After getting lost on nearly every trip to my great aunt's house outside of Iowa City, I decided I could never live more than ten minutes away from a town center. Nay, a thriving, highly populated city center. I think my problem is that living in the country would force me to be alone with my thoughts far too often. In a city, I can easily get lost in the traffic or the people watching or the crowded malls.

That said, I have total respect for people who choose to live in the country. Many of the people I know who live in rural spaces really enjoy the peace and quiet. They have space for their animals to run about freely, a more relaxed pace, and a certain appealing ruggedness about them. They get their hands and boots dirty, they eat homemade meals, and they care about their neighbors. (I understand that these may be grand, sweeping generalizations, but I do know that for the people I know living outside the city, these things are true.)

Unfortunately, my need to blend in with my surroundings overrides my desire to get friendly with neighbors and live in a giant, creaky country home. I'm a city girl, at least for the foreseeable future.