Could children who grow up in a country setting be happier as adults? Though the area around Flandrum Hill is considered semi-rural, it shares many of the characteristics of country living: namely, fresh air, lots of open natural space and the presence of wildlife.
Why would children growing up here be happier? Country kids can play ball in a field or hide and seek in the woods. They can climb trees or play in tree houses. In the summer they can pick berries and wildflowers. They can spend an afternoon looking for frogs, snakes or salamanders. Living near the ocean, kids also have the advantage here of walking to the beach. It seems obvious that any child would grow up happy in this type of environment and take this inner joy with them into adulthood.
But what advantage does country or semi-rural living have for adults? Can we expect to be happier in the country than in town? Certainly the larger lot sizes afford more opportunities for gardening and privacy to do one’s own thing without worrying about disturbing the neighbors. But there has to be some greater advantage for so many people to be attracted to living outside the city when it’s so far from many of the services we rely on in our modern lives (shopping, transportation, entertainment, dining).
We can’t underestimate nature’s uplifting effect on our senses. Perhaps just seeing open spaces, trees, wildflowers and wildlife on a daily basis makes people happier. In summer or in winter, there’s nothing like the scent of fir or spruce boughs to clear one’s head. From birds singing in the spring to the sound of the wind trembling the aspen leaves in the fall, each season brings its own special appeal. Seeing a deer or fox on one’s drive into work in the morning makes life here seem special. Simple pleasures, like feeling the morning mist on your face as you taste a couple of wild blackberries from the vine, would make even non-believers consider the notion that God is in His Heaven and all is right with the world.
- The year’s at the spring,
- And day’s at the morn;
- Morning’s at seven;
- The hill-side’s dew-pearled;
- The lark’s on the wing;
- The snail’s on the thorn;
- God’s in his Heaven –
- All’s right with the world! ~ Robert Browning
those were the best of times!
They sure were Rosalie. Our kids had such a great time playing outside together.
This was beautifully written, Amy-Lynn. I echo everything you say about the benefits of living close to nature.
I grew up in the woods in a little house on Cedar Swamp Road, the nearest neighbor was half a mile away, and we had part of the swamp nearby, although these days it’s more of a vernal pool. In the winter we used to ice skate between the clumps of earth poking up through the ice covered swamp. There were lots of tumbles and lots of laughter – no need for a fancy ice-skating rink, although sometimes we went there, too.
Love the picture of the kids – those were the days!
“There was a time when meadow, grove, and stream,
The earth, and every common sight,
To me did seem
Apparelled in celestial light,
The glory and the freshness of a dream.”
~ William Wordsworth
Barbara, thank you for adding your thoughts and the poem from Wordsworth. Lots of tumbles and laughter here too. That time certainly was like a dream.
Nature does, indeed, have many gifts to give us. I think, perhaps, that children (and adults) have the opportunity to connect with their deeper selves out in nature. Inside we’re more often reading, playing in a focused manner, computering, etc. The pure openess of nature may just open up the spirit and let it fly wider and further. Great post! Thanks for pointing to it.