Do I regret leaving my hometown?

Absolutely not.

Leaving my hometown, to me, was my first real adult decision. Don't get me wrong, I love my hometown. But I outgrew it. My dreams and overall life were too big for it. I love the people there, the food, everything.

But like everything in a small town, it all becomes too regular. It all becomes a routine. You become used to everything.

A day in the life of a teenager in a small town:

Wake up.

Go to school.

Extracurriculars.

Hang out with friends after school.

Homework.

Dinner.

Bed.

Repeat.

It all becomes too regular. I needed some liveliness, some irregularities, some new activities, some new people, some new places to go. I needed some variety in my life.

And in moving across the state to the city, I found my variety. Does it become regular? Sometimes it does. But when it does, there's a chance to make it more interesting. Go some place new, make new friends, try new food. You can't do that in a small town. In a small town, something new is when you get a new ice cream machine at the gas station.

I needed something new in my life. I needed a place that could handle my dreams, my thoughts, my aspirations, my goals. And in moving to a whole new city for my education, I found a place that could handle me. My hometown meant the world to me. But I knew it was temporary. I was ready to leave, although it wasn't ready for me to leave. But I outgrew it like an old t-shirt. And I found something that fits me much better.