But I don’t consider myself a “city girl” – I’m more of a hybrid.  My father was a Seattle firefighter during a period when one of the job qualifications was city residency (a policy long abandoned), so I grew up in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood. But when I was 6 years old, my parents purchased  40-acres of forest 5 miles from my grandparents’ farm (70 miles south of Seattle). Our family called this property simply “The Acres” and my parents ultimately retired to it after my father’s 25-year firefighting career. When I was growing up, our family spent nearly all available weekends and vacations on this property. I was closer to my first-cousins who lived in this rural area than I was to many of my Seattle schoolmates.

My sister and I spent many happy hours at my grandparent’s farm, and ultimately each had a horse of our own at “The Acres.” We were comfortable with farm animals and chores. We knew various breeds of cows, and learned to milk cows by hand; we could identify many crops before they arrived packaged at the grocery store; we played comfortably with reptiles and bugs, and knew which plants and critters “bit.” We knew mud and manure well – no innate country fear.

But if I had to choose the best location for growing up, especially for those breakaway-from-the-parents, formative years, I’d have to choose the city. It’s the time of life when cultivating the city skills is easy if you don’t already have them – and it’s those city skills that tend to get you a better education, a higher salary, a more impressive resume and comfortable global mobility. I don’t want to live in the city anymore, and I’m fortunate not to have to, but everytime I travel or visit the city, I’m glad I’m still comfortable (a) driving in city traffic (especially on the interstate); (b) standing in line to get what I want or need; (c) using public transportation if necessary; (d) dealing with a broad diversity of people; and (e) knowing how and from whom to get information or help if I need it.

If you grow up in the city, you naturally understand that a city is not one big sea of unknowns, but actually a collection of smaller towns (neighborhoods) which are manageably-sized encampments from which you can explore other neighborhoods and take advantage of all the city offers. My cousins who never did “city” when young rarely leave the country – the city’s just too scary for them. They miss a lot by this.

Of course, I also know some city people who never visit the country and they miss a great deal, too. Everyone should spend enough time outdoors, away from city lights, to see how dark it can really be; to discover how much light even a sliver of moonlight provides once your eyes adjust (without flashlight); to hear the quiet “noise” of an engineless environment. Anyone who has not looked up on a starry night and actually seen the “milk” of the Milky Way is deprived of a profound exercise in perspective.

I am not a parent, but I am an observer of parents and an admirer of good parents. The best country parents I see get their kids into the city and expose them to the city’s advantages, the best city parents get their kids out into the country and nature – camping, hiking, boating.  These best parents don’t pass along their own fears to their children, but rather expose their kids to as much as possible, creating fearless, autonomous individuals who can go forth into any environment when they come of age, deciding for themselves what locale best suits their needs. I don’t know how the good parents do it – but they deserve the admiration of us all.

And whatever locale you choose to settle in, it’s best to play in the other exteme at least on occasion. On long sailing cruises, Griz and I used to get out of practice at driving in traffic. You have to give yourself time to readjust to the pace of any new environment, but that doesn’t mean you should avoid the change.  If you’re a country dweller who resists going into the city, or a city dweller who resists going out into country, it’s a good indication it’s time to kick yourself in the butt and jump back out of your comfort zone. You’re getting out of practice. You’re chopping yourself off from all that’s available. This is a particular risk for us country-dwelling hermits – there’s just so many people in the city and it’s so comfortable for us out here in the woods.  But ya gotta do it. 

You’ve got to keep your skill level up – maintain your universality.