Most populations anywhere are stuffed into the cities like sardines until people overflow into surrounding suburbs. So it is safe to say that a lot of us are used to buildings surrounding us, cars whizzing by, and people, lots and lots of people moving around our lives like an ant colony.
When we are stuck inside for one reason or another, we are even more locked away in the princess tower that is the urban landscape. We look out our metaphorical tower and see some trees, plants, and occasional dogs, but mostly we see the usual urban setting. We become used to the surroundings, and we forget that there is a world outside our towers. We “city-zens” are all Rapunzel.
And like Rapunzel, we must escape. Our towers are comfortable, and most importantly, they are familiar. But we must escape. How do you escape the city, getting out of a place considered urban? Go to the countryside. If you see open fields dotted sparsely by farmhouses and a cow, you are on the right path. Go camping, where there are obviously more trees than people. Instead of car horns, you hear creepy twig snaps. Your eyes will hurt because it’s not in front of a screen (no wifi). You will find out that you actually have allergies once you become surrounded by the biggest allergy giver; nature.
But once you get past all that, and you will, you will realize how you’re not “city anxious.” No one is yelling, looking for you, looking at you, wanting from you. The air you taste is freedom. You are free, Rapunzel.
It is okay to love your tower, to feel safe in your tower, but sometimes towers are not entirely safe for you, just as much as the outside isn’t entirely safe either. It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t experience either.
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