I grew up in a one stop-light town in Northern New York. It's a beautiful little country spot with a lot of history and big sense of community. We're about as far from commercialized as you can get there, and if you're not into bonfires and beer, you might think we're pretty boring. But, I love my town. I love having dirt under my fingernails, and laying out in the grass to stargaze on a clear night. I love barbecues by the lake and fishing when its just the right overcast. I like the simple life. This doesn't mean I don't appreciate what cities and suburbs have to offer, and it doesn't mean I don't wan't to live in those types of places one day. It just means that I have a soul that's going to be country no matter where I go.
Sometimes, it's hard to express to people the country way of life and why it means so much to me. Something about it so very special and important, and it breaks my heart when it's talked about like it's an inferior way of living. It's not, and I hope people from other backgrounds can begin to see that.
In the country, you learn to have pride in good, hard work. You learn that the sound of birds singing in the spring while the breeze rushes through the trees will always beat out the sounds of the city. You learn to love nature, not just as a spectacle but as a piece of the human experience. You learn to be that person that drives through life on a back road, with the windows down and the music up. You learn the value of genuine people, and you learn how to become one. These aren't things you can learn anywhere else, at least not in the same way. This is how we live, and this is what we love.
And, while I may get made fun of when my country accent slips out, I embrace it. We're not all rednecks, and we're not all close-minded. I'm proud of where I come from and I'm not pretending I'm anything I'm not. There's so much that we can learn from each other, and just because we come from different backgrounds doesn't mean that one of us is superior. I wish people would recognize this more often, and I hope this article helped shed some light.
Peace and all good,
Brittany
