The past couple of weeks I've seen articles like, "20 Things People From This Town Know," and these articles would get 1000s of shares and comments from people who are really connected to their hometowns. People would talk about how they loved living there and how they missed it if they left. After reading so many comments and articles, it made me think about the town that I have lived in for a majority of my life.
For the past 13 years, I have lived in the same town. This is the place I went to school at, where I made friends, where I learned so much, yet I don't have this connection to this place. When I think of home, I don't picture this city in my head. When I'm away for months on end, I don't get this feeling of coming home when I finally come back. I never run into the people I went to high school with, and a majority of the people I still talk to, moved out of our city. To me, it's just the place where my parents still live. I don't have this nostalgic feeling when I drive past places that I spend my childhood. If it weren't for my parents, I would probably never come back to this city.
People who I graduated with will posting pictures of places they are getting on their own and how much they love living in this city and all I can think about is, "why?" What is so wonderful about this place that makes you want to stay here? Why wouldn't you want to move around, see the world, and for some, leave the town you were born in? Hell, I don't really like the state that I live in and after college, I'm planning on looking for a place out of state that has more of a pull to me.
Maybe because I have lived in three different states and I don't like staying in one place for too long, but I don't see what's so great about a hometown. When I think of "home" I think of my college campus, my organization, my friends, etc. I don't think of the park I played at as a kid, or the shopping centers I would roam around. I learned that you need to make a home where you want it to be. That a location isn't where you should call home, but rather a feeling or a person. I learned that I don't have a hometown, just a place that I lived in for a good chunk of time.
To quote the most meaningful lyrics to me, "There were churches, theme parks, and malls, but there was nothing there all along." I hold these lyrics so close to me because, wherever you go, there will be these "things" that make you feel close to the town, but just know you can find them everywhere you go. It's okay not to want to stay in your hometown and to not have a connection to your hometown.
