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Rural Living

Many of you may think rural living is less hustle and bustle. 

Rural living does not necessarily mean the simple life. If you are already living the rural life, too, you may have noticed it difficult to find balance.

You may be a city dweller and have dreams about rural living someday.

Or you might be living it already.

So, what designates rural living?

Do you know if you’re living rural?

After analyzing numerous definitions of “rural” and based on my own experience, I’ve come to the conclusion that a rural community is one that is under 2,000 people.

The community I grew up in was 350 people. Now, I live in a cluster of small communities with more tiny towns closer together.

One great thing about rural living is that the community is always up to something. But, sometimes that’s not completely a good thing when it comes to already busy schedules and responsibilities.

A small community needs everyone to pitch in to make things happen. 

I have lived in a community my entire life. And let me tell you, it’s easy to be involved in EVERYTHING there is to offer.

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I have struggled with finding my balance. 

Over time, I’ve learned to find balance with a multitude of responsibilities and activities:

  1. Family
  2. Pets
  3. Farm & Garden
  4. Travel
  5. Community
  6. Business & Work
  7. Cooking Meals
  8. Wellness

That’s a lot to fit into one day, isn’t it?

The good news is that every day is just a little different than the last. I will teach you to prioritize and plan each day to it’s rewarding full potential.

Giving back to your community through volunteering or donating is rewarding. It helps keep the rural community thriving and meeting their goals.

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It can be hard to find balance through obstacles and challenges

This is why I keep God close to me and I have faith in him that we can make it through anything that is thrown our way.

As I pray daily to him and keep him by my side, he gives me beautiful gifts of scenery and happy times and memories in return.

Challenges we face as rural dwellers include: Severe storms with hail and wind, flooding, drought, and disease. While we never know what challenges will be thrown our way, one thing we can be sure of is that God is always there to pick us up and make it right again.

As I share my life lessons with you, I want you to understand that this lifestyle is anything but simple. It is hard work and dedication. As with any lifestyle, you must find balance with your schedule and understand that things happen you can’t control.

You learn to do more with less and splurge when you can. Take care of yourself first, prioritize and the rest will fall into place.

~ Much Love ~

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Ava

Monday 23rd of December 2019

How might I locate perhaps, a family or other type of farm wherein I can live and work. I am older, and I know that I cannot establish a farm life on my own right now. But I would like to work for a family-organics mostly-farm, if this is possible. I don't want to go through "WOOF," because it's a bit too much for me to just be moving around right now. But I would like to work/live in a setting where I can hope to simply live & retire there. VERY rural, I hope.

Please advise.

Mindy Young

Tuesday 24th of December 2019

Hi, Ava! I am excited that you want to live rural. There's definitely always a family farm looking for valuable help. Do you have any family or friends living rural already? If I were you, I'd at least start there with them and ask around to people they know and trust who are looking for someone. Another way you could go is to decide where you want to live, visit the local chamber (if there is one) or the local watering hole and start meeting people there. You might come across someone looking for help. If you're interested in the organics side, I'd start with eastern states, such as Vermont. You could also try northern California or Oregon on the western side. I hope this helps you with a starting point!