I grew up in a rural area and about 10 years ago the area had a major housing market skyrocket. I don't even recognize some of it anymore. It is sad to me because I loved seeing the horizon and sunset accented by the mountains. When I go back to visit it is just neighborhood after neighborhood.
Back in the day, I would play outside all day long in the summer. The closest neighbors were about 1/2 mile away, though we did have a neighbor that was closer but wasn't home often. My brother, my dog and I would hunt frogs and toads, get chased by skunks, float down ditches, mud fights, and long walks. We had several large trees next to our house, that were perfect for climbing and I would time myself how fast I could go up one tree, get on the roof and climb down another. My dad has many fruit trees and a large garden, we could pick whatever we wanted and just eat. My most favorite thing would be to sit outside and hear the wind in trees and watch the clouds. I loved my alone time.
I loved the rainstorms in the summer and we would stay outside in them when they came, enjoying the wind, dust and rain. That was back in the day....
When I left my home, it changed. I had to grow up. I married young and the first ten years of our marriage we lived in several different cities. I felt trapped and uneasy. I would take long walks around dirty, noisy blocks and it didn't seem to help. I longed to see the horizon and open spaces. It was suffocating to be around so much concrete and roads, strangers and buildings. That was also back in the day....
Just memories now...but puts things into perspective. I want to give my children a similar childhood, but times have changed and things are just different now. BTW, we don't live in the city anymore, and I literally thank God every chance I get to be living back in a rural area with open spaces.
