I guess I'm a pretty lucky guy.
I've had the opportunity to live in a lot of different places. When I was younger I used to joke that my grades were so bad in elementary school because I moved so often that I never got a chance to learn. Indeed, I moved to 8 different schools by the time I was in only 4th grade.
While moving from school to school may not be conducive to making friends, learning social skills, or learning coursework, it does help one see different places to live. It gives a person perspective that life is what you make it wherever you happen to be living. I'm not trapped in just one small part of the world. That perspective has stuck with me through my life and now as I look at retirement I have a number of different places in which I'm intending to live.
One life, multiple locations
Right now I'm living in one of the larger Canadian cities, which by world standards means its just a suburb. In a few days I'll be staying in Manila which is one of the most crowded cities in the world. Over Christimas I'll be visiting my mom who lives in a tiny town on the Canadian prairie. Next spring I'll be living on acreage which is far from anywhere.
Here is the thing though. Every place has its beauty and its drawbacks. If I look at what is wrong with each I'll certainly find it. However, if I look at the beauty of each I'll find that too. As a result I always try to find the beauty of wherever I might be....I tend to be happier that way.
But if you are curious here is a quick breakdown.
Suburban Life
That's a picture of my dog enjoying the backyard.
Suburbs are pretty good. You still have a backyard although as you can see from the picture it isn't very large. There are nearby parks. There are all the shopping and food amenities you could want. There are hospitals, physiotherapists (need to get my back worked on soon), entertainment, churches, and pretty much everything else you would find in a large city. Parking is good, traffic isn't wonderful but it isn't terrible. Services like high speed internet are pretty much a given and cellphone signal is very reliable also.
But not perfect. Suburbs tend to mean longer commutes. There is always something calling for your money. Having a vehicle is a must and cars are a huge money pit. Taxes are higher. Home maintenance and repair is expensive, worrying and time consuming.
Still, living in the suburbs isn't bad.
Urban Life
As I said, very soon I'll be in Manila. Now for those people who live in Manila, I do apologize as I regularly complain about how crowded Manila is. If I remember correctly it has a population density of about 70000/sqkm which compares to about 1400/sqkm in my current suburban location. That means about 50x more crowded than where I currently live!
Trying to navigate the streets is brutal. Going anywhere is a crush of people. With so many people there is pollution, crime, and a whole lot of noise! Want a backyard? For the most part forget it, only the super rich have backyards in the downtown core. Want quiet in the park? Good luck as the parks are small and crowded.
BUT
Being in such a large city has its advantages. Want to get public transport or a Grab (vehicle service like Uber) they are there in no time and they are very reasonably priced. Not having to maintain a car....awesome! Most people rent a home or live in a condo which means that no yard maintenance and usually a maintenance company looks after repairs. Not having to worry about repairs myself....awesome! Plus with so many people there you get lots of major live events. Major singers will play in large venues with lots of people nearby...I might be able to see them in Manila (or Vancouver) but in my little suburban town? Forget it. The best hospitals, best universities, and generally the best services are found in a city. It may not be my thing but it certainly has its perks.
Rural Areas
Now people tend to lump all rural areas together as just "not city" but that is really not true. I have three rural properties and I'll show why each is unique.
That's the view from my front window on my property in Northwestern British Columbia, Canada. I'm 40km from the nearest town. 5km from the one and only store nearby. It is in a place with only about 100 people total. I rarely hear my neighbors. There is absolutely no traffic. There is nothing to buy, no distractions from life and generally it is very very peaceful. I have 60 acres of space to roam, plant, and enjoy. Here I can live and be totally self reliant. Unfortunately if there is a problem I better solve it myself as there is no-one to call for help!
Now lets look at another place
This is my place in Northern Philippines. Again it has a beautiful view. It has open space, fresh breeze, the beautiful sounds of birds chirping in the morning. However, in this rural area I have family and neighbors nearby. Also, if I travel 20min I'm in a large city center and if I walk 500m I have a store, and help in case of emergency. In that way it is very different.
or perhaps this place.
That's my beach hut in the far north of the Philippines and it has a really awesome view.
Really it doesn't get much prettier than that. At least not for me. However, in this place there are neighbors. At least on the weekend when people come out to party. Still, if I am staying there during the week there are no amenities and its 15 minute to get to town where I could buy food, services, or get medical attention. It's rural for the week and busy on the weekend. Totally different feel than the other locations.
Which is better?
Here is a little secret.
You will adapt to whatever place you are living in. If you focus on the positive then wherever you are is the best place IF you do your best to make it homey. Make friends. Develop community. Enjoy what you have. Learn not to grumble over what you don't have. In the end the place you live will be the best.
If you can feel like this on the couch.
Then you know you have succeeded.
Of course if you have a little more class than letting it all hang out, then this is also a perfectly acceptable "this is my home" posture.
But sometimes moving to a new location is better
While each place is homey if you make it that way there are reasons that I have so many different places to call home.
When I'm younger and strong I just love the idea of living where I can be self sufficient! Northwestern BC here I come!
But I won't be younger and strong forever. There will be a time when hiking into the wilderness and looking after large acreage just becomes too much work. When that time comes I'm certain I'll just be looking for a small garden, nice neighbors, and some amenities nearby. That's when I'll move to a small town
But then I'll still get older still. There will be a time when I get weaker to the point where walking to the store is a bit much, and doing the gardening is more than I care to do. When my health declines to the point where I need more care. Indeed my mother is getting to that point but she refuses to a bigger city! However, I've already set things up so that at that time I will be in a bigger city and live in a condo. Someone else can take care of the maintenance. Someone else can do the driving. There will be doctors and hospitals nearby.
So, different stages of life mean different settings for me at least.
Of course you may have different ideas or comments,
If so I'd love to hear about it, please send me a message :D