There are almost no words to describe what it is like to grow up in a small town like I did. Its honestly something that I believe made me who I am today. It teaches you more things than you think and when you move away you see the many life lessons you learned while living there.
You know everyone. You grew up with the same people you graduated with. Literally you have kindergarten pictures with some of the people who you have graduation pictures with. You go to church with half the town too. There is no where you can go without running into the people that you know which is always fun when you look like absolute crap running to the store to buy milk for dinner.
You date the same people you have known forever. When you grow up in a little town there are not many options for the dating scene. You grow up dating each other and you even sometimes date family friends. It makes it hard when you break up because like I said earlier, you probably go to church with you or their family does your taxes or something. You can't get your feelings hurt too easily if someone you know starts dating your ex because you know everyone.
The community is so tight it is almost like we are all family. If you ever needed anything you could call anyone and they would be happy to drop what they are doing to come help you out. We also all go to Friday night Football to support the high school team win or lose. It also makes festivals fun because you go from tent to tent and you get to see everyone its almost like a family reunion.
The whole town is proud of you for all your accomplishments. It doesn't matter what it is but if it is posted online for someone else to read about the whole town will share it. If you go to college at a big university and play football the whole town watches whether they are fans or not. Its pretty awesome to see how many people are really proud of me.
Finally, you never really understand why you love your hometown until you leave for somewhere else. Clemson is so great and I almost never want to leave, but Inman is where I grew up, made friends, got my heart broken, cheered my heart out, and even where I maybe sometimes got a few speeding tickets. This place has an affect on you and it leaves a huge impact on your character and on your heart. It is honestly a major reason I am who I am today. I want my future kids to have the opportunity to grow up in a small town even if it is only for a short while because I loved every minute of it.
