1. Back-Roads

Anybody from a small town can tell you just how important back-roads are. They aren’t just run down old roads that you hate driving on because every 10 feet you hit a bump. The gravel has a more significant meaning to us. On a Friday night in the city you might be heading out to a popular club dressing to impress, while in a small town you and a couple of friends pile up in a buddy’s truck and hit the backroads with a cold case. You might even just put your truck in cruise at 20 mph and sing your heart out to some good 'ole country songs all night long. In the city, you would probably have to drive a good 20 minutes or so before you found a decent back road. City folks don’t know what they’re missing. Some of my favorite memories have come from these back-road nights.

2. Mud Riding

Now when I say mud riding, I don’t mean going down a few muddy trails only to return home and not need a shower. I’m talking about the nights where you and your friends go find a good spot to ride, on the same day it just poured, and end up completely covered from head to toe in mud. If you aren’t from the country you might think “that’s gross," when really you’re missing out on one of the best times of your life. Even though we all get older, playing in the mud never gets old.

3. Bonfires

Almost everywhere, the fall is most commonly referred to as football season. However in the country, it is also known as the beginning of “bonfire weather." To a small town girl or boy these words mean a lot. The cold weather is known to drive people inside for months at a time but in the country it is the exact opposite. It gives us a reason to invite a few friends over, start a fire, and eat s’mores all night long. On Friday nights after the football game, the question isn’t “where’s the party tonight?” but it is, “So who’s having the bonfire tonight?” Every country kid can tell you how much fun these bonfires are. There never has to be a lot of people for it to be fun either, you could have the time of your life with just three or four good friends. The cold weather doesn’t keep us country folks from outside.

4. Hunting/Fishing

In the country, you can almost guarantee that almost everybody loves to hunt and fish. I know I sure do. It isn’t just something you do occasionally. You literally hunt and fish as much as you can as if your life depends on it. If you grew up in the country some of your first memories were probably on a lake or in a deer stand. I can remember waking up at the crack of dawn and taking a boat into the bayou with my pawpaw and fishing all day long, and on another day waking up before dawn to set up in that perfect spot in the woods with my dad before the deer came out. I don’t know what exactly it is about these two hobbies, but I love them and it’s even better doing them with your family. There is a special kind of joy you get from them and anyone who loves to fish and hunt would tell you the same thing. In the country, it’s not just a hobby, it’s a lifestyle.

5. Peace & Quiet

This has got to be one of my favorite things about the country. Whether you’re sitting on the porch in the morning drinking coffee and listening to the birds chirp or laying in the grass at night watching the stars and listening to the bugs in the woods, there is nothing quite like it. It’s so peaceful that I can’t even begin to explain the serenity of it all. You could sit out there for hours completely alone yet be delighted with the atmosphere. When I want to get away from the chaos in my life, the country is the perfect place to go. It helps you clear your mind or even give you new ideas for your life. You don’t wake up in the middle of the night and hear traffic on the road, cars honking, construction machinery at use, or people holding conversations. In the country, every now and then you hear a crop duster, a tractor, or a lawn mower, but for the most part all you hear is the wildlife around you. Life brings many joys but one of the greatest is the peaceful atmosphere the country has.