I can't decide whether I like the city or country more. A part of me thinks the city has its own allure full of bright lights, hopes and dreams. Another part of me believes that the country has this charm all of its own that draws you in and gives you a new perspective on life.

When I was younger, my mom and I used to make trips downtown and it honestly felt like a dream. A little girl seeing tall buildings for the first time, business men in suits with not a single interruption in their perfectly ironed fabric, and the sound of the clacking on the sidewalk from women's stilettos, it was like magic. Winter in the city is much like the North Pole, the snow seems to create a circle around the concrete jungle and the hundreds of trees and Christmas lights. The city is motivating in its own special way because even if you work at Starbucks, it makes you feel like you manage your own hedge fund or run your own publication. The city makes you want to go and explore new things, look at art that you can't afford because it is fun, and make every social appearance of every season. The city takes a BLT, puts a new creative spin on it, and suddenly you have a new found appreciation for bacon. The city has that effect on me.

However, I never really understood what the country was until I became a permanent resident in it about 3 years ago. At first, I hated it. I was bored out of my mind and there was literally nothing to do, no restaurants to eat at, and a bunch of people that I had nothing in common with. Then something in me shifted. I started to realize that these so called "country folk" and I had a lot more in common. With their fierce patriotism, and a strong sense of hard work, I started to look at these people as my role models for being kind to everyone just because they wanted to. The country doesn't have restaurants because with all this boredom, you learn how to make some really amazing homemade meals. My favorite part about the country is when all is said and done, friends and family are the centerpiece of appreciation. Everyone gathers around a fire and shoots the bull for a few hours with a beer in hand.

I love both, and they both have their high and low points. But the truth is, I grew up in the suburbs, home of the track homes and chain restaurants. So any sort of individuality within a place thrills the heck out of me. The country brings comfort to me, it tells me that on a cold day I can curl up with a cup of coffee and everything will end up being okay, but the city motivates me to create a legacy for myself. So from a suburban girl to my country and city friends, don't hate each other for your different ways of life. Learn to appreciate what these ways of life provide for each and every one of us.