“The magic thing about Home is that it feels good to leave, and it feels even better to come back.” - Wendy Wunder

When I was younger and still in school, I had a million thoughts and dreams about leaving you and finding somewhere else, somewhere bigger, and somewhere more exciting to call home. At times, I thought you were too small, too boring, and that there was no way I'd ever be who I was meant to be if I stayed there. But, as I've been away from you for quite some time now, I think about you often.

Growing up in a town as small as you isn't always easy. There's not a lot of room to make mistakes because everyone will know about it the second it happens, sometimes the only source of entertainment is sitting in a circle in an empty parking lot or driving the same country roads over and over, and you can't go to Walmart looking like you just rolled out of bed because you'll always see someone you know.

But Being in a city that is a lot bigger than you isn't all it's made out to be either. Sure, you can go to Walmart looking like you haven't showered in a week, and no one knows that embarrassing thing you did freshman year, but I would trade all of the movie theaters, malls, and crowded places in a heartbeat if I could. Because nothing will ever compare to the memories made in that circle in the empty parking lot or the way your country roads made me feel like I was invincible.

I've learned a lot from you, and in a way, you'll always be a part of me. The house I grew up in, the friends I've made, the people I have fallen in and out of love with, the things that made me who I am, were all possible because of you. You have taught me that the simple things in life are what make life worth living, and I will always be grateful for that.

They say that it always feels better running back home than it does actually being at home, and this might be true, but there's something about knowing that you always have a familiar place with familiar faces to go to that gives you enough comfort that you'll ever need.

No matter where I may wander, or how far away I may go, you'll always be the place I call “home”.

Forever,

A Small Town Girl

"Wouldn't trade one single day, here in small town USA." - Justin Moore