There are pros and cons to every environment you live in whether it be the country, the city, the suburbs, or anywhere in between. But as a girl who has lived in the country for more than 75% of her life, I have to say country living has a lot of pros. Okay, maybe I'm a little biased - but it at least has a lot of defining characteristics that almost everybody raised in the country (or anybody who lives in the country now) can nod their head to and smile at. The following list highlights 21 things every person raised in the country can relate to:

1. Never having to worry about what people think about what you’re doing because your closest neighbors live too far away to care.

2. That one stray cat that comes along sporadically.

3. Waving back to all the locals who have mastered the two-finger wave.

4. Watching the sun rise and set without any buildings to block your view.

5. Nestling your face into pillow cases and sheets that have been hanging out on the line all day.

6. Watching the cloud structures of thunderstorms move across the sky.

7. Firsthand experience in raising all sorts of animals (so much better than reading about them in books).

8. Learning how to ride a bike on loose gravel.

9. Being able to play loud music outside without getting any complaints from the neighbors.

10. Eating fresh vegetables out of the garden.

11. Having your mom demand that you wash your feet every night before going to bed.

12. Walking to get the mail takes forever because your driveway is so long.

13. Late night bonfires.

14. Walking barefoot in the grass and on loose gravel.

15. Meeting wildlife face to face.

16. Being able to walk around in your yard in your swimsuit without worrying about who’s going to see you.

17. Four-wheeling all over your property.

18. The smell of fresh cut alfalfa or hay.

19. The smells of summer in general: the fresh cut grass, barbecues and that “other” smell you really can’t get away from since you're surrounded by fields.

20. Looking up at night and seeing a star-filled sky.

21. Knowing that even though you basically live in the middle of nowhere (and driving to the nearest mall can be quite the excursion), nothing beats country living.