How moving from a megapolis to a small town affected my life
I grew up in a big city. Loud streets, the subway, crowded shopping malls, and overloaded buses are something I feel pretty used to. At one point in my life, though, I moved to a much smaller town to pursue my university degree. Here the population count is in thousands in contrast to millions, typical buildings have 3 but not 20 floors, and it takes me 30 minutes to cross the whole town as opposed to hours. Has my life changed because of that? Totally yes.
When you move to a smaller town, you instantly notice that the pace of life is much slower here. If you have ever walked the streets of a megapolis, you could probably feel the rush floating in the air. Everything around pushes you to quickly reach your destination, even if you don’t have any. Cars, lights, people, even pigeons — everything moves at a high pace. And if you don’t follow the rhythm you feel like you are lagging behind. In contrast to that, life in a small town almost encourages you to slow down. It feels good to take a casual stroll even if you are in the center of the city, people are more conscious and calmer, even pigeons seem to be more peaceful and content. You don’t feel the need to rush here.
When you move to a smaller town, you become much closer to nature. Living in the megapolis, the time that I spent in nature was mostly limited to public parks and rare weekends outside the city. Now, as I live in a small town, it still surprises me sometimes that it only takes a 15-minute walk to reach the forest from my home. Life feels different because of that. When you are surrounded by trees, you feel more connected to nature. When storks, foxes, and otters live nearby, you don’t feel like you dominate this world — you feel like a part of it instead. Such incredible unity with nature becomes the source of calmness and energy. It offers you daily relief and support.
When you move to a smaller town, you stop thinking about the future so much. Megapolises have ambitious atmospheres. They demand you to think long-term. The atmosphere of a small town, though, emphasizes the present moment much more. And while there is no harm in thinking about the future at all, the pressure from it is something that life in a small town really helps to avoid. Having fewer options to choose from, you gradually come to appreciate that, what you have at the moment. Every discovery and every positive change get to be experienced stronger in a small town.
There is a unique beauty in all places - megapolis or town. But if you happen to size down your home, you might find yourself moving at a calmer pace, feeling closer to nature, and appreciating the present more.
