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Life in the City

There was a time when I imagined that the city life was a temporary state, maybe it will be, the jury's still out. There are a few things though that would be hard to give up. Reliable internet for one thing. I love the idea of wide open spaces as much as the next person but there is just something about turning on Netflix and not having to wait 30 minutes for half of a movie to load. Yes wireless internet is available through cellular data (which costs an arm and a leg compared to our monthly internet payment) but without that the family farm is still limited to dial-up.

Another thing I love about the city is seemingly endless grocery store options. I want to make Pad Thai on a Tuesday night? No problem I can think of one Korean grocery Store and one Chinese grocery store both within ten or so minutes from my house. I'll tell you right now I love my Walmart Neighborhood Market but it does not carry rice noodles and Pad Thai just isn't the same with a spaghetti noodle. It does have it's downsides too though, for instance I had to go to three different stores to find Jiffy Biscuit Mix. There will be twelve rows of corn muffin mix but not a biscuit mix in sight. The upside is the stores are all within 10 minutes of each other so I'm not driving from town to town. A far cry from the one Walmart Supercenter in my hometown. I was 13 years old when it officially opened, there was a literal parade and a cake big enough to feed the whole town. Before that we had to drive at least 30 minutes to get to the Walmart. I can't imagine driving 30 minutes home with ice cream and milk in my backseat. Now I live in a city with no less than 5 Supercenters and 2 Neighbor Markets. That's not including all the other grocery stores.

People talk about "crime" in the city being a problem and yes there is crime here but I've never personally had a break-in. Which is not something I can say about my time in the country. I can vividly remember two instances of a break-in, thankfully we weren't home either time. I can also remember more than one occasion in which the local sheriff was combing the woods behind and beside our house looking for criminals. I wouldn't be afraid to move back there again because of "crime" and I'm not afraid of my city either. On a similar but different note I remember one instance where a burn pile got out of control and we called the local fire department to help us put it out. It took them more than an hour to find us, at which point we'd gotten it under control, but it could have easily been a very different outcome. No where is perfect and crime can happen anywhere.

There are little things I miss about the farm, like eggs fresh from the chicken coop and the serene silence as you overlook the pond. Sometimes I even miss the sound of the train that comes by a few times a day. But living in the city doesn't take those memories away, it makes them sweeter. It's nice to "unplug" with a trip back but I am also always thankful to be back in my own home with reliable internet. At least once a week I get asked "Are you from here?" I am starting to pause and really wonder the answer to that question. Did I grow up here? No, but I've lived here my entire adult life and we bought a house. I think it's time I start saying "Yes."

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