Fiftyish years ago, I was an unwilling passenger on a journey from urban life to the quiet, sprawling fields of rural Orono. As a child, I saw this move as a catastrophe. I missed my friends, the nearby playgrounds, and the constant hum of activity. The wide-open spaces and the slower pace of my new home seemed unbearably dull in comparison.
It wasn’t until many years later, after I had ventured out into the world, that I began to appreciate the beauty and tranquility of the rural life I had once disparaged. When I left for college, like so many of my peers, I was thrilled to explore new places and embrace the opportunities that lay beyond the horizon of my small town. The allure of a big city, with its promise of excitement and endless possibilities, was irresistible.
