City vs. Country

May 24, 2007

I can be pretty fickle sometimes, especially when it comes to deciding which I like best, living in the country or the city. One week I love living in Boone County, and the next I lament the loss of my old life in St. Louis. I’ll miss my friends, my favorite restaurants, and having Forest Park as a nearby neighbor. Our recent family vacation to Seattle reinforced this city loving side of me.
Pike Place Market, a gigantic open-air market with everything from fresh seafood and produce to home décor and souvenirs, lured us in our first day in town, and we drank in its pleasures almost every day of our trip. Riding public transportation made me feel like an urban warrior, conserving energy while bumping elbows with people from all over the globe. The hustle and bustle of the city felt invigorating. In fact, the entire family seemed energized, with my eight-year old son pushing the baby in his stroller for miles and miles each day. With giant blooming rhododendrons, out-of-this-world seafood, and sparkling water views all within walking distance from our hotel, the beauty and charms of The Emerald City in May seemed endless.
Well before the end of the trip, I began thinking of how good it could be to live in Seattle. My ears had already become numb to much of the noise pollution; surely I could learn to live with that part of city life again. Homeless people stood, sat, or slept on every street we traveled, but I felt oddly comforted that they weren’t shunted away from the rest of us so that we might be made more comfortable by their invisibility. The only real concern, I thought, was the lack of sunlight during the winter months.
However, immediately upon arriving home from vacation, I remembered why Kyle and I had fallen in love with our new home just south of the airport. We stepped out of the car, and the midnight silence was like a balm to our ears, and the brilliance of the stars seemed to whisper, “Welcome home.” The following morning I went out to check on the garden, which had been seeded just before leaving on vacation. Diverse bird song and a variety of veggie sprouts greeted me, a sort of nature-based welcome wagon.
But it wasn’t just the beauty of nature that welcomed me back. It was attending my oldest son’s soccer game, doing some community gardening, and getting a hug from a friend. It was a visit to Heartland Family Nursery, a place with delightful owners, a friendly dog, and a wonderful selection of herbs, peppers, and heirloom tomatoes. I realized that, whereas during the winter I had felt isolated and lonely at times, my life in Ashland is now growing full. Friendly acquaintances abound, and I even have a couple of good friends who help me feel connected to this place. The anniversary of our move to Boone County is approaching, and the scales are tipped once more in favor of country living. And if I should forget how nice the peace and quiet is, I have a daily dose of noise pollution—the deafening roar of the 6 a.m. plane overhead—to remind me.