I don’t belong here.
I thought I could do this city living thing. We love the museums we never visit and the theater where we can’t afford tickets. We love the River Trail that we never use. The grand old houses whose inhabitants we will never meet because city people don’t talk to each other. We enjoy the parks we frequent, although I spend more time picking up broken glass than pushing my children on the swings.
I truly love my house and my gardens and I even like my neighbors (as far as neighbors go, anyhow). But this urban dwelling stuff is not for me.
It’s not the stolen TV (and bike and wagon and garden bench and car CD player and attempted car theft…) or the hoard of sometimes annoying children. It’s not the crazy people who walk by asking for money or stealing flowers or yelling at me because I let my baby crawl around on some straw. OK, maybe it those things a little bit.
It’s the noise. The constant noise. Cars driving by all day and night. Sirens. Construction. Yelling and shouting. Dogs barking and barking and barking. Thumping bass. It makes me want to cover my ears and bury my head somewhere deep and quiet. I can’t concentrate. I try to study and every three seconds I am distracted by some noise.
And the litter! Why can’t people carry their empty juice boxes and ice cream wrappers 2 more blocks and throw them away? Why do people smash bottles on the sidewalk where my children need to play? The constant inconsideration baffles me.
Everything here depresses me. The people who walk around expressionless, unsmiling, aimless, empty shells.
I find myself counting down the number of years we will live here before we can leave for the country.
Four more years. Four more years. Four more years.
I just don’t belong here. I belong in a little house with a big front porch on 40 acres with a flock of chickens.
It’s the noise. The constant noise. Cars driving by all day and night. Sirens. Construction. Yelling and shouting. Dogs barking and barking and barking. Thumping bass. It makes me want to cover my ears and bury my head somewhere deep and quiet. I can’t concentrate. I try to study and every three seconds I am distracted by some noise.
And the litter! Why can’t people carry their empty juice boxes and ice cream wrappers 2 more blocks and throw them away? Why do people smash bottles on the sidewalk where my children need to play? The constant inconsideration baffles me.
Everything here depresses me. The people who walk around expressionless, unsmiling, aimless, empty shells.
Tell me about it. I only give you hugs {{{{{RM}}}}}
I can hear the freeway right now as I speak. The city planner here should be shot. Everything and I mean everything is focused around the freeway. Yesterday when I went bike riding with my daughter, every intersection (which was every cross road because the living areas are walled up by 8 to 12 foot walls) we had to press the crossing button, wait for the traffic. In other words we could not just ride. And the speed limit is 45-55 mph.
I have heard so many excuses about litter my whole life. How people don’t care if they don’t own, how if they are poor they have other things to think about, blah blah blah. Well I have seen the littering from people who own and who are not poor. It makes me sick.
Sadly my husband does not get it. Sometimes I even think it will lead to a divorce. Because in looking for a house (or condo or townhome) it does not bother him that there is no yard, not even a patch, that there is no riding area, or walking area, or anything else.
And the SUVs and Big Trucks and Hummers. In the city. It is the CITY! One parent, one child, TAHOE. One person, Yukon. One parent, two children, Hummer.
We had seven children when I was growing up and no SUV. It was station wagon and people could see over and around us in traffic no problem. Sometimes we did not have a station wagon but some midsize car to deal with.
I feel your pain, it is horrible.
I call them locust people. People who just look right pass you. Invade your space while you are standing somewhere. People who have eyes of vacant possession.
Posted 11 months agoChickens?
Posted 11 months agoWe’re fairly lucky. We’re in the “city” (if you can call this place that) and it’s almost like being in the country, at least in our backyard. BUT, I have a lovely neighbour who considers reving his idiot bike for 20 minutes endearing, and everyone in my neighbourhood is incapable of holding their garbage until they go home.
The noise doesn’t bother me so long as it’s a constant. I get more distracted in quiet to tell the truth.
Posted 11 months agoWhile I do not have room for much of a garden aside from mah bukkets, my neighborhood is really clean and quiet. Except on trash day, and at 7am and 7pm when we’re near an alternate flight path.
We have the annoying kids too, but I was mean to them from the start.
Posted 11 months ago“And the SUVs and Big Trucks and Hummers. In the city. It is the CITY! One parent, one child, TAHOE. One person, Yukon. One parent, two children, Hummer.”
I feel you as well! Today I was behind a “Sequoyah” and I was actually in a philosophical mood and started thinking about them. The giant trees, the Cherokee warrior and then this gigantic vehicle that just cut me off
I live in the burbs and will for a while until we get our debt paid off. I go hiking a lot. It takes me about 2 miles to relax and get my scowl off my face. What a weird culture we live in, eh?
Posted 10 months, 4 weeks agoRM, you are sooo right! I am a total city chick, love it and every aspect of it.
Buuuuuuut, the trash is unbearable. The people can be too at times, plus the noise… I am actually talking to some friends to put together a clean up committee for our neightborhood because it is that bad. I too just don’t understand how people can have the mentality that the street is their personal trash can.
When I was in college, I felt the same way as you. I wanted to live in the city for all the culture and opportunity it offered. Then found it was so out of my reach, it almost was worse having it there without being able to enjoy it, then not having it available at all. So, believe me when I say I understand exactly how you feel.
I know I will probably never leave the city, so I am stuck with the downfalls and try to make the best or it (and hopefully impact a change). But, if you enjoy the country and want to go back, then I hope these four years fly for you!
Posted 10 months, 4 weeks agoI am so glad that some people like the city. Our population wouldn’t support everyone moving out to the country. I hate urban sprawl too, so I won’t move to the country until I can actually afford a bit of land that we can work. I know a lot of people who love it here. But hey, you need someone to raise your organic eggs right? That’ll be me!
Posted 10 months, 4 weeks agoYou know, if we were to time travel and switch places with urban-dwelling humans from a century or two ago, two things would happen: we would be unable to handle their stenches (horse manure, coal smoke, b.o.) but they would be unequipped to absorb our NOISE! The constant buzzing of traffic, planes overhead, appliances, air conditioning/heaters, music blaring, electrical currents—it’s no wonder we can hardly think.
Posted 10 months, 3 weeks ago[Sorry, one more thought] Oh, and it’s been theorized that the reason whales beach themselves is that they’ve been driven mad by the constant noise of motorboats and other engine-driven sea vessels.
Posted 10 months, 3 weeks ago