At first, moving to a rural area seemed like a great idea. Getting away from the hustle and bustle of traffic and crowds. The clean, fresh air is an excellent way to breathe outdoors.
But is the slow pace going to work for you in a new area of the country?
What Does It Mean To Slow Down?
Slowing down means taking your time in everyday activities. From getting up later to slowly eating your breakfast and not watching the clock.
But what if you are still working or have to return to work after retirement?
The Slow Pace Honeymoon
At first, the slow pace appears to be magical, and you don’t want it to end. It’s like the honeymoon phase of a marriage.
Now, after a while, you get to realize that the slow pace doesn’t always work, even when you need questions answered by a professional in your area. They tend not to call you back right away. Sometimes not even within 24 hours.
I’ve seen it happen repeatedly since we’ve been living in a rural area. I wonder how these people can stay in business? Don’t they want to make money today?
What makes them so lackadaisical? Perhaps because they have lived that way their entire lives and are accustomed to the slower-paced world.
Can You Slow Down?
So, if you are going to stay around people who live a carefree life and take their time getting back to you, whether for business or personal reasons, can you slow down to their pace of living? Or will it drive you nuts and make you more anxious?
Those are the questions you must ask yourself before moving to a rural area.
Our Experiences: Moving at a Very Slow Pace
We have had several examples of a slow pace that stunned us, living in our rural town. The first was that it was impossible to find anyone to hire to build a garage.
And when you did find them, it took forever at a very slow pace. My husband had half of it built before they began working on it.
The next slow-paced experience was with our pest control company. The first one took forever to get back to us, and when his son-in-law started his own, we were happy to see him come by rather quickly that first year.
But last year, he never followed up on our calls and texts. Luckily, we didn’t have many Mayflies this year to deal with. This year was different, and we took care of it right away.
I looked at it as we saved the money the previous year instead of spending it on pest control. So the slower pace may sometimes save you money.
Our third example was in the real estate industry. The real estate agents worked at a much slower pace than they did back in our old town in Rhode Island. If you wanted a quote on the value of your home, you would have someone there immediately.
Here, we had no one show up to answer our question. One responded by email only, and our home was 5 minutes from their office.
That was shocking. We were in touch with three realtors within 10 minutes of our home, but none of them got back to us.
We ended up using a referral from our agent in Rhode Island, who is from RE/MAX. They are known for their services worldwide. Our home was for sale, but sales slowed down the week we put it on the market. After a year, we took it off the market. We decided to stay put for now.
Even selling houses in a rural area is a slow and time-consuming process, often taking years to complete.
Running Your Business In The Slow Pace of Fast Change
We both still run our businesses since moving up here. The plan was for retirement, but with the high cost of living, inflation has soared 20% since we arrived. Since then, my husband has gone back to work, while I have remained, not quite at retirement age.
However, this month he just retired as his business was only sustainable for a few months out of the year due to the weather. You can’t run a dump truck in the snow or freezing weather.
If you run a business in a rural area, you may face limited demand and a smaller customer base. It’s crucial to adapt to the local culture and focus on providing exceptional service.
Building relationships and trust takes time, but it can be worth the effort. Word of mouth can become your best form of advertising. While growth might be slow, loyal customers can sustain your business for the long haul.
Making It Slower
If you want to live in a slower-paced town, you will need to have more patience. Patience to wait for services and for answers to any questions you may have from a local professional.
The only area we haven’t had to wait is in medical facilities. Fewer people visiting them means less waiting time.
I recently had my gallbladder removed, and there was only one other patient at the hospital when we arrived. It was nice that I had my room the entire time, and the nurses and doctors were very attentive.
Back in Rhode Island, my last surgery on my arm from an accident was an all-day affair to get into surgery. I was past that point of being hangry.
Conclusion: The Slow Pace Option
As with everything in life, there are pros and cons. I wanted to share more cons this time, the slow pace paradox. It has its advantages, but it also has some drawbacks.
The most significant advantage I have observed thus far is the reduction in traffic and shorter waiting times at medical facilities. Those are two essential advantages. Whenever we drive back to our old area, we notice right away the amount of traffic and signage blaring out at us.
I just learned that the state of Maine does not allow for billboards. It makes for a calmer drive around the state, unless it’s tourist season.
What do you think of a slower pace of life today? Would you be able to survive it while still working or managing a business?
