Small town life isn't necessarily always bad, but it's not the perfectly picturesque, tranquil experience you see in movies. As all true small town dwellers know, living in a little place comes with a fair share of unique struggles.

1. You aren't fooled by pop culture depictions of small towns.

" Gilmore Girls" and country music make small towns seem cuter and more fun than they are in real life.

2. You've survived not having a Target.

The ultimate #whitegirlproblem. You have to go to Walmart, or Dollar General which is worse than Walmart, to be honest.

3. And you know going to Walmart is like going to a freak show.

They say you should never go to Walmart late at night, because that's when all the weird stuff happens. But in reality, you see camo-clad rednecks and unforgettable sights 24 hours a day.

4. You know the Dairy Queen is kind of important to some people.

The local people, who remember when the DQ was the only restaurant in town, feel weirdly passionate about it. Also, when the time came to remodel, it was a big deal. And some people took it pretty personally.

5. You know high school football is a huge deal to everyone.

Nothing brings the town together like Friday Night Football, whether or not your team is good. Nothing inspires the same intense emotions-- the excitement when you're playing your main rival, the righteous anger directed towards their players, the swell of pride when you actually win.

6. You will never fathom the amount of people who come visit your town for fun.

And they seem to be actually enjoying themselves. But what is the appeal?

7. You know some moms who cause more drama than the kids do.

It's not just that they get caught up in the high school drama. They have their own high school drama, which still hasn't been resolved 25 years later.

8. You know family loyalty is a big deal.

If you accidentally made someone mad or got caught up in some high school drama, you incurred the wrath of their 28,432 redneck cousins. Oops.

9. Your high school experience was a joke.

The lunches were terrible, at least a third of your teachers didn't even teach, and half your freshman classmates had either dropped out or gotten pregnant before graduation.

10. Everyone knows exactly who you are.

They know your parents, and they have probably known you since you were a wee thing. Had you ever been inclined to do anything rebellious, you didn't, for fear that someone would see and tell your dad. Also, you probably didn't apply for your first job; you just knew your boss and he or she just hired you.

11. And everyone remembers your awkward phase.

How you look, act, or dress now doesn't matter. Everyone in your entire town will always remember when you had braces and bad hair; when good posture and good hygiene were foreign concepts to you; when you thought an Aeropostale t-shirt and jeans was an acceptable outfit for basically every occasion.

12. You know people who think Olive Garden is fancy.

They think Longhorn is fancy, too. In fairness, it's not like there's anywhere any fancier. And you probably had to eat at either Olive Garden or Longhorn for prom one year.

13. You know that getting a new restaurant is a really big event.

When my town learned we were getting a Chick-fil-A, it was all anyone talked about for months. When we actually got one, the place was crowded for months afterward. Same with Starbucks, Dunkin' Donuts, and anything else that has come in the past few years. I can't imagine how people would react if we got an Olive Garden. After all, very few new things besides restaurants ever arrive.

14. You've seen more Confederate flags than you ever wanted to see.

I mean, you probably didn't want to see even one, but nevertheless, you will find hundreds of them at your local high school or Walmart parking lot. You can find them waving on trucks or tattooed on people's biceps. You can find them on T-shirts or on socks. You can probably order a Confederate flag cake from somewhere. They're everywhere.

15. You've also seen more camo than you ever wanted to see.

Camouflage is not just for soldiers or hunters. It's for school, Walmart, and, uh, prom. Yes, I legitimately saw people dressed like that at prom.

16. A lot of the people who were cool in high school work at gas stations now.

How sad for their entire lives to be over at high school graduation.

17. You know Waffle House is superior.

They're like the ultimate redneck place to eat. They're often pretty sketchy -- crumbs on the tables, health scores of 87, slow service. But they have the best darn waffles and hash browns. Don't fight me on this.

18. You know of a lot of people who didn't make it out.

You looked around at graduation and were pretty sure no one else from your freshman P.E. class had made it that far. Also, you were shocked by some of the people who had made it that far.

19. You're abundantly grateful to have made it out.

Thank goodness!

20. But aww, no, you don't really hate your hometown.

You hated it in school, yes. You hate some of the people, yes. You don't want to move back, no. But it's a complicated relationship. You do like some of the people in it, and you don't want to forget where you came from.