Ten things I take for granted, living in a rural region.
1) Night skies. I can see the stars. I can see the Northern Lights. Regularly.
2) Wild animals. There are more moose, deer, and bears here than people. I see foxes, bunnies, and other beautiful creatures.
3) Domestic animals. I saw an ad on TV that had a rooster crowing and it made me realize there are people in this country who have not seen or heard roosters. Or seen and milked a cow or goat.
4) Lack of traffic.
5) Beautiful views. Lots of gorgeous fields and forests, rivers and lakes. Rolling hills and mountains. Fantastic sunrises and sunsets.
6) Fresh air. We rarely have any kind of air quality issues, mostly they are caused by forest fires.
7) Knowing people everywhere you go. It's kind of comforting to see familiar faces in random places.
8) Customer service. I find customer service to be friendlier and less rushed here. In most places. That's a generalization, for sure.
9) Oddball festivals. We're home to the Potato Blossom Festival, the Whoopie Pie Festival, the Moxie Festival
(Moxie is a unique soft drink).
10) The pace. Things are slower here. There's something about visiting a fast-paced city that's exciting but the pace of life here at the end of the earth is much less stressful.
