" I pass on my doors unbolted when I ’m away so the neighbours can get in if they need something . "
As someone who grew up in the suburbs and has spent loads of time in big cities, I’ve never really given the rural lifestyle much thought…
So, whenu/rjroa21asked people to sharerural ways of living that city folk wouldn’t understand, I decided to round up some of the best answers:
1.“You or someone you know has a personal vendetta against a wild animal in the area.”
2.“Weird noises in the woods? Deer. Glowing eyes in the shadows? Deer. Something following you down a dark country road? Deer. It’s always a f**king deer.”
3.“Legitimately being late for school or appointments due to being stuck behind a tractor.”
4.“Having your name and age listed in the local newspaper when you’re pulled over for speeding, and your family/friends get to give you sh*t for it because everyone lives to read the weekly police report.”
5.“You need to carefully plan out your shopping needs because that trip to Walmart or Home Depot might be a two-hour round trip.”
6.“Weather changes your life. I’ve sat on the porch with my parents watching hail destroy our wheat crop days before it was due for harvest. There’s nothing you can do. You just watch. I’ve also stood in a circle with my parents and older brother in the yard while we prayed for rain. For farmers, weather is destiny.”
7.“Country life is slower than your lifespan. In the city, you can go year after year seeing new buildings pop up, events, etc. Whereas in the country, it’s the same county fair every year, maybe a new building every ten years, and a new business every five.”
8.“How dark it is at night. You see how many stars there are, how bright, gorgeous, and busy the night sky truly is.”
9.“The nearest fire department is you, and your neighbour ten miles away, with a couple flatbed trucks and 500 gallon tanks of water on them.”
10.“Not flushing the toilet because the power’s out.”
11.“In the city, people ignore sirens and pay attention to gunshot sounds. In the country, people ignore the sound of gunfire and pay attention to the sound of sirens.”
12.“If you don’t make dinner you don’t eat. No Uber Eats or Grubhub, no delivery pizza or takeout, unless you want gas station food. Most places nearby close by 5 pm on weekdays, and have extremely limited hours or are closed entirely on weekends. It can be pretty damn peaceful.”
13.“The joy of driving around town without having to wait for traffic lights. I dread the day my hometown grows that large.”
14.“That time of year when the entire village will smell like sh*t. Wafting in gently from all the fields, as opposed to the usual smell from all of the horses coming through the village on a regular basis.”
15.“The mosquitoes! The thousands and thousands of inescapable mosquitoes, and the sheer size of them! They literally crunch when you kill them.”
16.“My kids get two days off school every year to attend the rodeo.”
17.“Full-grown pigs are massive, and terrifying. They can and will eat someone if they ever get the opportunity.”
18.“I leave my doors unlocked when I’m away so the neighbours can get in if they need something.”
H/T tou/rjroa21and AskReddit for having this discussion!
Note : All submission have been edit for duration and/or pellucidity .
extra thumbnail credits : Nickelodeon
