It’s been shocking to many, many people (including ME) that I am marrying a farmer and moving to the rural midwest to live in the land of cornfields and barns. I’ve been asked how I can leave the bustling, fabulous city of Nashville for country life. Won’t I miss Starbucks?
I don’t mind answering these questions because I had to answer them for myself first. I had to come to terms with what’s really important to me before I could even consider seriously dating Rick. I had decided that I was done with casual dating and I could tell he was serious, so I did some soul-searching early on in our relationship. Just how important is Nashville to me?
I love Nashville. I love the American southeast. I have a special place in my heart for magnolia trees, rolling hills, thick green trees, and that sweet, southern drawl. I enjoy mild winters and how very nice everything is. If I need to purchase something, I have so many choices that I’d never be patient enough to look at all my options before making a decision. I live right next door to one of the wealthiest towns in the entire country. Right down the road from my house are streets lined with mansions. It is a lovely place to live. But no amount of loveliness can make up for loneliness.
I have lived a good life. God has blessed me with good friends. I’ve really enjoyed city life. It’s been no big deal to go to NFL games and cheer the Titans on, scream “Fang Fingers!” at hockey games, go to a major concert and see the performer the next day at a pancake restaurant. I’ve eaten in the fanciest restaurants, traveled the country and stayed in the nicest hotels, and filled my life with good things.
But in all of that, I went home alone every night. I felt the ache of empty arms when I saw a mother rocking her sleeping baby. I chafed at never having a home of my own to settle into and decorate and organize just right.
To me, the reality of having my prayers answered for a loving husband, a home of my own, and the hope of children is worth giving up a weekly visit to Chipotle or seeing a celebrity at church. Not to mention that the idea of wide, open spaces and the safety of country living is very appealing! I’ve had all the big living I need. I’m ready to settle down and be a wife and mother. And writer. And maybe do a little teaching and speaking on the side… 🙂
I grew up in the area I’ll be moving back to. Vivid childhood memories of running free, totally unafraid, and feeling connected to the ground beneath my feet draw me back. I was the wild child who did all I could to get my four-wheeler (ATV) completely air-born, who caught slimy tadpoles in the pond, and whose heart was broken when my willow tree got cut down. During a recent trip to visit Rick, I sat quietly on a large rock and listened to the sounds around me. I let the little ants crawl up my arm. I felt like I was twelve again – carefree, happy, and at peace. I’m blessed to still have relationships with people I knew when I lived there, including my grandfather and cousins.
Will I be the typical farmer’s wife, canning peaches and running a tractor? Well, probably not. But I don’t think I’d mind learning how to can my own food and avoid the preservatives and unknown ingredients I’ve been eating in food that comes from who-knows-where. Driving a tractor, though, is something I plan to leave all in Rick’s capable, calloused hands.
By the way, even though the community is rural, there’s a good-sized city within 40 minutes of his house and a grocery store just a few miles from his front door. The man who acted as my adopted grandfather when I was a little girl (before my grandparents moved there) has a coffee shop just two miles away. And there’s a mall within 30 minutes of the farm. See, friends? I’m going to be okay. And I even hear they’re building a Starbucks a couple miles down the turnpike. Oh yeah…
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