Moving to the country sounds great in theory. For many people they dream of fresh, GMO-free eggs, organic gardens, and kids running around outside as they explore fields and ponds.
But if, like me, you’ve lived in the city for most of your life, this move probably won’t go as well as you’re expecting.
Here are the main things I would miss if I moved somewhere remote:
People
Nope, not friends and family, just people. Imagine being out in the middle of nowhere, and you hear a weird noise. Every car that goes by late at night could potentially be an intruder, going outside requires a flashlight since you won’t find any street lights if you’re living somewhere super remote, and you also won’t have any neighbours to call on in the event that you need help. No thanks.
Convenience
You know those days when you get home after a long day of work, don’t have the energy to make dinner so you jump online or on the phone and order a pizza? Yeah, that’s not happening if I’m living somewhere remote. Instead, I’d be scheduling meals so that I would only need to buy groceries once a week since the supermarket is unlikely to be five minutes away. I also wouldn’t be enjoying high speed DSL, and sure, I could still get my gas bottles delivered, but what about when the electricity goes out and the water pump stops working? No thanks.
Not to mention, what do you do if you need a plumber or electrician? Trades people may be few and far between, and I would probably end up either having to fix things myself (not a good idea) or paying a premium for someone to come all the way out to the boonies.
Culture
Sure, you can absorb plenty of ideas by reading articles and books, exploring nature, and listening to music, but nothing beats museums, concerts, the theatre, and art galleries. Unfortunately, in the country you’re more likely to run into people who have been living in the area for a long time, and since we’re the average of the 5 people we spend the most time with, it makes sense that people who have all grown up together in the country will probably have pretty similar life experiences (and I appreciate diversity).
Friends and family
When you can simply pick up the phone and be hanging out with friends or visiting family within half an hour, it’s going to be a pretty big adjustment to move somewhere where you can no longer do those things. Personally, I find that everyone is so busy that actually scheduling in visits (and then having to drive) would probably mean that these relationships would suffer.
I’m not sure if the benefits of living somewhere remote would outweigh all of the things I would miss, so it’s a good thing I won’t be moving anytime soon!
