The 5 Benefits of Living in the Middle of Nowhere

and the 4 challenges...

It has been almost five months since I arrived in the countryside and paused my wandering for a while. I mean, I wander through fields and winding, muddy paths whenever I get a chance but the radius of my movement is heavily reduced.

This morning I was asked an interesting question from someone I’ve never met in person that made me reflect:

“Countryside, tell me, top three benefits and top three downsides.”

So I told her. I gave her more than three of each, and now I’ll tell you.

Benefits

1. I am surrounded by beautiful sights and beautiful sounds. There are more plants and animals than there are people. In the morning, on a clear day, I can see the snow-topped Alps in the far distance glowing pink as the sun rises. If I step outside the air feels crisp, the leaves rustle, unmasked by traffic. It’s peaceful and great for the nervous system.

2. It’s easy to find parking.

3. The property prices are low. I am living in a large four-bedroom house, with rent which is almost half the price of the two-bedroom apartments we were looking at in Rome a year ago and pretty much the same as what I used to pay for a room in London eight years ago. Heaven knows how much people are paying to rent a room in London in 2023. I’m nosy curious about the prices of the properties for sale in the area and have spent a fair amount of time searching property listings. While there are huge mansions and entire farms around that sell for higher prices, there are also small country houses available for less than EUR 50,000.

4. My kids are outdoors a lot. They seem healthy and happy. Pink cheeks after fun-filled afternoons outdoors are really cute. I know kids can get nice pink cheeks from an afternoon at an inner-city playground but as a parent I don’t find that nearly as enjoyable. Walks in nature are a shared thing. I’m much more interested in the empty snail shells and the giant mushrooms than I am in watching my children go down the slide for the twenty-third time.

   

5. I am being forced to slow down and move at a more natural pace, in rhythm with the seasons. The cycles of life are very visible to me. The trees bear fruit and then shed leaves. The fields that were lush and green lie fallow and brown. The nights that were short, grow long. It cannot be ignored. This is good for me.

   

   The last of the persimmons cling to the branches of the tree along with a few of the autumn leaves.

Downsides

1. I am being forced to slow down and move at a more natural pace, in rhythm with the seasons. Yes, the cycles of life are very visible to me with the trees and the fields and the lengthening nights and all, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. It’s not easy to discard old ways of being. Change takes time.

2. I have to drive to get anywhere other than the pretty fields around my house. Even the nearest shop is a drive away. If friends come to visit they need to come by car or we can't leave the house together (except for walks in those fields). If I've forgotten to pick up the eggs/bread/milk it's another drive...

3. There is very little of the entertainment a city-dweller is used to. The nearest cities are 30-40 mins away. Even restaurants are limited. I’m aware of one nearby pizzeria for the occasional takeaway, otherwise if we want food we have to cook. Most of our socialising is in people's homes which, if I’m honest, is my favourite kind of socialising, but it does require organising and invitations and nobody’s getting paid to wash the dishes afterwards.

   

   Thankfully my daughter’s school has a social calendar that is literally lit… This is the Martinmas lantern walk from last week

4. Wireless internet is quite unreliable where we are. There are some areas of the house that get good enough connection and some areas that get none at all. I don't have a wireless or cellphone connection in my room so private calls can be tricky. Then again, it gives me peace of mind to know that the frequencies don’t penetrate the bedroom, especially with my baby sleeping there.

So there you have it. Looking at these lists the benefits outweigh the challenges in number and in their nature. Some of those downsides are really only benefits that are taking me time to adapt to. I made a big change in my lifestyle and now my lifestyle is making some big changes in me.

Could you handle life among a bunch of fields? What would be your pluses and minuses? Let me know in the comments.