Waymart, Pennsylvania. If you didn't grow up here, you probably have no idea what I'm talking about. Waymart is just a small borough within Wayne County in Northeast, Pennsylvania and it is where I spent my entire childhood growing up.

I am so grateful for the town that I can call my home. I know I will always be welcomed back here with open arms and big smiles. There will always (hopefully) be the Waymart Hotel open to give me the best pizza I could have ever had throughout my life. Sure, according to people from New York, I've never had the best pizza but the Waymart Hotel has to be a pretty strong second. I will forever remember the memories that I have made growing up on the playground of the R.D.W. Elementary School. I don't think that I could ever forgive them for covering up the map of the United States painting on the black top but I do think that I can sacrifice it, move on, and find another map to play on. Street names, hay fields, and local restaurants will never leave my mind.

Despite all of these good memories, moving out to go to college in a much larger area was probably one of the best things I could have done. I have learned so many things now that I have much more to teach me. While coming home on break, I learned not to take my hometown for granted. Things change and it can be very hard to accept at times, especially when it is the place you've grown up in for 18 years. It gets a little easier when you stop to remember that the world is constantly changing and just because you're from a small town doesn't mean you can be left out.

Now is my time to move on. Unfortunately, that means moving on from friends, even if it is not what you want. When you're from a small town, you know just about everybody. I will still say that I was not necessarily friends with everyone but I was at least acquaintances with them and it wasn't hard to make small talk when the time came to it. All of the people I considered acquaintances in high school start to dwindle and in 25 years, all I will remember about you is your name. But that is okay. The sad part is that I have started to lose some of the best friends I have had. Just don't think that it is because you did anything wrong, people move away and fall out of touch, but they will always be the ones you had the fondest memories with.

Next time you're looking back on those memories, don't be afraid to share them with others. Screenshot an old photo of you and a friend goofing off and send it to them. Share a status on social media that you had made years and years ago. Appreciate the time you have left in your small town, because you never know what the future holds for you and who knows when you are going to be back in town. And no matter what, just don't forget your roots.