I'm thankful to have grown up in a small town.

Being raised in a small town is such a unique experience. Sure, there is the obvious elephant in the room. Living in a small town comes with some downsides. Whenever you do something, three-fourths of the town knows about it. One can't do anything without at least one person (who then usually goes and informs somebody else) finding out about it. For the most part, while living in a small town, everybody knows everybody (and you can take that how you please). Your dining selections are limited to basically fast food, and your entertainment for your particular evening ranges from whatever creative thing you can come up with or the home sporting event at the local high school. Of course, one can't forget the drama that comes with living in a small town -- lots and lots of drama.

Thankfully, when you look past all the "bad" that comes with living in a small town, growing up in such a place is one of the best experiences you can ever receive as a person.

Being raised in a small town is such a unique experience.

When growing up in a small town, the things you encounter and experience are truly indescribable. For the most part, everybody knows everybody (and you can take that how you please). You, the reader, know exactly what I mean when I say there is hardly a time you can drive through town without receiving the chance to honk at somebody you know. It's that "small water tower town" experience that you don't get just anywhere. It's the experience of driving through town and catching the spectacle of many family-owned businesses that everybody enjoys. It's going to a high school with a numerical enrollment that resembles the number of people many of your out-of-town friends had in their senior class alone. It's getting the opportunity to attend a high school that provides exponential opportunities for you to grow and develop into the person you want to be. It's that same high school that you are given the opportunity to create special relationships with teachers and administration who want nothing but the best for you -- teachers and administration who want to see you succeed and will do anything it takes to see it. It's living in a town that shuts down everything on a fall Friday afternoon and heads to the high school to pack the stadium for those ever-so-famous Friday-night lights. It's the kind of town that makes their athletes feel like superstars with an escort back to town by emergency vehicles followed by 30 of 40 cars creating a spectacle with their flashing hazard lights. On special holidays, you can find Main Street in downtown closed for the big parade and celebration that is being put on for that particular season. It's the kind of town that supports one of its own in a time of need. Through the best of times and through the worst of times, the support you receive from people in a small town is truly special. It's the kind of town with people in it that take pride in where they live.

It's things like these that make this unique experience such a privilege. Of course, I haven't come close to doing justice when discussing what it's like to grow up in a small town. Sure, living in a big city gives the benefit of having everything you could ever imagine practically at your convenience. However, big cities don't even begin to come close to the amazing things growing up in a small town provides for you. Growing up in a small town has made me the person I am today. I'm thankful for the opportunities that I received in the small town that I grew up in. The life lessons, the Southern hospitality, relationships, and more are truly something special. In the end, all of the experiences leave you saying,

"I'm thankful to have grown up in a small town."