I grew up in a small town in Western Mass, a town that everyone talks about leaving but never does. I too am one of those people. I spent most of my high school career counting down the days to graduation, and not being able to contain my excitement about leaving. But guess what? I stayed. I spent four years pursuing a degree in a town just twenty-five minutes from my hometown and spent a significant amount of my time at home. So now that I'm graduating, what's next?

There are so many things I love about home. I love the fact that I can drive through town and see countless familiar faces. I love that the police officers know me by name and that the guy at Dunkin' Donuts knows my order when I walk in the door. I look forward to seeing my friends from high school and reminiscing on the times we shared. It's always great to run into high school teachers in the grocery store and say hello to your friend's parents at the bank. Nothing makes me happier than spending time with my mom, and knowing that I can go there for dinner whenever I want. At times, there is nothing I want more than to spend the rest of my life in my hometown. But for me, my dreams go beyond seeing familiar faces and my one-light town.

Living in a small town is really hard when you have big aspirations. You see the same people, and when you don't seem to connect or share interests, then you feel stuck, hollow, and even more alone. What if you want to go bigger? What if you want to do more,see more, and live more. You want to go somewhere where you don't know anyone. You want to do this and you want to do that, but it's hard when you don't love where you are- physically, mentally, or emotionally. For me, there has to be more than this small life.

What you have to remember, is to not let your small town life, make your life small. Never let anyone convince you that your dreams are too big. Make decisions based on what you feel is right. Don't follow someone else's dream, and don't live the life someone else is expecting you too. Do understand, that you have to work for your dreams. It will not be a perfect road, but you will get where you want to be.

Change is scary, but being stuck somewhere your heart knows is not where you belong is even scarier. You have one life. Explore more. Become more. Grow. Don't let your small town, make your life small.