Some of your best rural advantages and reasons to be grateful

Y'all are pretty smart. View this email in your browser Howdy Friend,  Awhile back, we talked about rural advantages, reasons to be grateful we're rural and some of the great rural things we sometimes forget to take advantage of. You all said some smart things, and I wanted to share some of these with you. "Being a small business does have it's problems, but being in Rural Ontario is not one of them. You don't get lost amongst all of the the big retailers, in fact you may be one of the big retailers in your small town." Doug Cota Ontario Cycle "I'm lucky to live in a small town because there is an intimacy to the relationships among people that is unparalleled. For example, the other night in the cinema lineup for opening night of The Hobbit: Battle of Five Armies, my daughter bumped into our family doctor. She was excited to know her doc is a 'Ringer'. I doubt that would ever happen in a big city. Clark Hokin Norfolk County Tourism and Ec Dev, Ontario "I have had similar experiences in our small town, things like visitors saying how 'Blessed' we are to live here, or seeing how they actually are enjoying a delay caused by an unexpected cattle drive. I love living in our little town even with all the problems we are trying to solve. I think most of all I would like to see employment for everyone out there that wants it. That seems to be the biggest challenge and many of the other problems are probably linked to that one ... crime, drugs, homes and businesses that need cleaning up and fixing up, etc. But I love the fact that I can take care of business without standing in long lines, even at Christmas time. I get personable customer service not found in the big city, I can get 'across town' to run errands in about 5 minutes or less, and if there is a tragedy in the community you will see a coming together of community members that warms your heart and reminds you why you live it here. Not to mention the fresh air and beautiful scenery ... I waited a long time to move here and never looked back :) " Lila Burgess Rock Bottom Acres Goldendale, WA "I always say that we really do not want people to know how nice it is in rural areas. I live there. My family has the family farm in Iowa, my twin brother and I own. He owns one house, I own the other. I like the peace and the serenity that generations of people have lived on. I am presently building  or renovating the farm house my grandparents live in. It's a typical recession era story. We moved the house up on top of the hill and only the local people knew or could justify my actions. Would I move? No not in this life time!" Gary Green Stanhope, Iowa Gary added: "PS My address doesn't exist. I have to get my mail  at the local post office." Same for me! "I no longer live in a small town, but that is where my heart is! So here's my list: 1. Enjoy a nice bike ride around town at your favorite time of day. 2. Jump into the river to cool off. 3. On a day with heavy snowfall, let your neighbors know that you're making a snowman and hope they will too. If they're elderly or unable, ask if they mind if you round up some kids to make one in their yard. 4. Meet friends at the historic society's museum for a tour. Then enjoy lunch together at a great little diner. 5. Walk the trails in town. 6. Take an art class with friends at a downtown art studio." Gaila Gilliland  Every time you tell me about what makes your rural place special or why you care about rural, you strengthen me. You keep me resolved to care about rural places and to help you find practical steps you can take to shape the future of your town. Thank you. You can shape the future of your town, Becky PS - Another study is out showing Why Shoppers Prefer Local and Small Retailers http://buff.ly/1IGpTYX