To East Hampton Connecticut,

We seem to have a love/hate relationship right now, don't we? I just went off to college; my life just changed right before my eyes. I never thought I'd want to be as far away from you as possible.

The little town that you are was my favorite place to be for the past six years of my young-adult life. I met my best friends here, I figured out who I am here, and I fell in love with life here. But at this exact moment, I'm really happy to be away from you.

I was so exhausted of being in a small town with a graduating senior class of only 144 people. Everyone knew my business, and it seemed as though everyone wanted to know my business. I'm not going to lie, I loved knowing everyone's business too, but when you're on the opposite end of it, it becomes irritating. I am so happy to be living a life where 144 people (and counting) aren't in my business, tracking my every move. I'm happy to be meeting new people and making new friends.

The relationships you build while living in a small town become so strong that leaving them seems scary- it feels as though once you leave, you may never find friends as amazing as the ones you had there. Friends became family, their parents became your second parents, you knew the name of hundreds of random dogs you met walking down the street, and even some high school teachers became such an important role in your life that you wouldn't be who you are without.

This town is haunted by my past; a past that I can't seem to escape. A past of ex-boyfriends, ex-best friends, a life that I once lived and loved that makes my future seem a little blurry. I loved all my experiences here, but constantly being reminded of them is very difficult. I am stuck between a desire of wanting to re-live my senior year and a need to run as far away from it as possible. I'm stuck in the past, and that's not how I want to live my life anymore.

This is our home. This small town was our home for years. But, whether we choose to see it or not, there is a bright and beautiful world out there just waiting to be explored. I can't go out and explore if I keep coming back to this small and seemingly haunted town.

I loved high school, don't get me wrong, but I love college too. I'm having the time of my life here! But sometimes when I come home I become anxious; I think about my old friends and my old relationships. All I want is to be able to go back, to save the things I never thought I'd lose. I miss the people I can't recognize anymore. I miss my friends that are so far away. I miss my old life.

That's why I am happy to be away from you, East Hampton. I love you, but you bring back bad memories. I need to make new memories, meet new people, see the rest of the horizon that the sun shines on. I have the whole world to explore, and I'm so ready to see it.

I always know that you will be here anytime I'm ready to come home. I will always come home to my family, my dog, the lake, the bog, airline, split rock, Salmon River, the new and unrecognizable high school, track meets, and my friends from the smallest high school ever. I love everything about you, East Hampton. But for now? I'm going to keep my distance.

But I promise you, I'll be back.