Sure, maybe you did cause a little bit of culture shock when I finally spread my wings and left your quiet, simple boundaries, and yes, there were times when we found you to be rather boring when Applebee’s was the only place we could go to go eat after our school musicals because it seemed to be the only place open past 7 P.M.. But, all in all, I could not have picked a place where I would rather have grown up, and I am forever thankful that I was born and raised in you.

First off, you taught me that I need to work hard for what I want. I grew up in a community of hard workers. The majority of people in our small town do not live in mansions or drive luxury sports cars, but they live comfortably and have just about everything they need... because they work for it. Whether it be going out before 5 A.M. to milk the cows, working multiple jobs, spending extremely long hours at work every day, or a combination of the three, people do all they can to provide for themselves and their families. I have learned from you, that things seldom come for free, but with hard work anything is possible.

Another one of the best parts of living in a small town is that everyone seems to know each other. The sense of community is unlike anything else. If anyone in the area had a noteworthy achievement deserving of recognition, or even an issue that needed to be addressed, everyone seemed to know about it and be there either to lend a helping hand or a pat on the back. While growing up in you, I had a lot of people who were there for me and had my back, and the stream of support continues to be endless. Within this tiny town, I gained a very large extended family.

There are a lot of things about you that I have accidentally been taking for granted, and for that I am sorry. For example, apparently you can’t just camp out in your yard overnight everywhere. I can't even begin to tell you how much of my childhood nights were spent with my friends sleeping out under the stars. The craziest thing about this is that all the while we were out there, we felt safe. My parents still left their windows open all night so that they could hear if anything unusual occurred, but for the most part, the only fear we really had was that we might be attacked by a raccoon, and even that was rather irrational. Along the same lines, I love your lack of street lights. This is something I never really though about until I left you to go to school in a more urban area, but light pollution is most definitely a real thing. I am thankful for your dark nights that reveal the most insanely beautiful night skies.

When coming to college, numerous people have asked me where I am from. When I tell them, most of the time they have never heard of you, and that is great. I love that I grew up in the literal middle of nowhere. I'm sure many people didn't get to experience "drive your tractor to school day" or didn't have to learn the crucial knowledge of how to pass Amish buggies when first learning to drive, but I did. You shaped me into who I am and gave me a place that I will always call home. Now, I may be off to bigger places, but my dear small town, you will forever hold a piece of my heart.