“The magic thing about home is that it feels good to leave, and it feels even better to come back.” -- Wendy Wunder
At least 30 minutes from any commercial business, nestled among thousands of trees, and on the top of a very tall mountain, you’ll find the place I call home. A place where you can drive five minutes and see a breathtaking mountain view and then drive another five minutes in a different direction and see another equally breathtaking view. Main Street is filled with specialty shops and restaurants. In the summer, the population triples and chances are good that you will get stuck behind a car from Florida driving at least 10 miles per hour under the speed limit.
In this town, I lived through countless struggles and triumphs. I dreamt of the day I would leave and start my life in a place where not everyone knew my name. I dreamt of the future when I would bring my own kids back and show them my favorite spots to hang out with friends and the school that I graduated from. I’ve dreamt of my wedding taking place among the many mountains as a backdrop. This town has seen every side of me: the good, the bad and the ugly. There isn’t any other place on the planet that has seen me through every single year of my life.
I never realized until I left how much this town would mean to me. You never know how much you are going to miss the place you call home until you pack up all your belongings and leave. While I love living in a city with things to do all the time, I will forever be grateful for the lessons and memories small town life taught me.
1. Gossip will always be a thing.
It doesn’t matter what it is -- chances are good people are telling your story before you’ve even had the chance to say something yourself. Everyone will find out sooner or later what you’ve been up to. You learn quickly that if it isn’t something you would be proud of the whole town knowing, you probably shouldn’t be doing it.
2. Your town will always welcome you home with open arms.
No matter how long you are away, the county lines will always welcome you home. You will never have as great a support system like your hometown. If they can love you through the awkward middle school phase, then they will love you always.
3. Your high school friends will not always be your best friends.
Two years out of high school, I can honestly say I only keep in touch with one person from my graduating class. While I know that this is not the case for everyone, chances are good you are going to find more friends than just the ones you walked down the hallways of high school with. I will forever be thankful for my high school friends because they were there for me during some of the biggest years of my life. To my high school friends: thank you for loving me when I wasn’t very lovable and for giving me some of the best memories a girl could ask for.
I am forever grateful to my hometown for helping shape me into the person I am today. I will always call it home no matter how many miles actually separate us. I am thankful for the people who poured into my life over the years. I am thankful for the friendships and the memories. I will never forget where I came from.
