Living in a rural setting exposes you to so many marvelous things - the natural world and the particular texture of small-town life, and the exhilarating experience of open space.

Orlean’s remark celebrates rural life as a form of sensory and social education. She points to three intertwined gifts: immersion in nature (“the natural world”), intimacy with a community’s rhythms (“the particular texture of small-town life”), and a bodily, psychological relief found in landscape (“the exhilarating experience of open space”). The quote suggests that place shapes perception: rural settings cultivate attentiveness to seasons, animals, weather, and local customs, offering a counterweight to urban density and anonymity. Implicitly, it also frames rural life not as deprivation but as abundance—of beauty, distinctiveness, and room to think—inviting readers to reconsider what counts as richness in everyday experience.