Being from a small, southern town is kind of like being from a different country.

People just do not really understand it if they haven't lived it or visited it. Being from a town where gas station lunches are normal and you can stop at a red light and know the car behind you, across from you, and the one moving is weird to most. People don't understand the kindred that breeds in small towns in the south, just as they cannot understand the gossip.

Nobody loves gossip more than a church congregation after the 11 o'clock service or two PTO moms in line at the only grocery store in town.

Everybody knows everybody. That's kind of a given to most who know anything about small towns, but it's still shocking to some. It's normal to all 40 of your classmates, their middles names, and what street they live on. The lady who bags your groceries? You've known her since you were about "yea high."

You've probably been in the local newspaper more times than you can count, and chances are, at least one of those times is cut out and stuck on the fridge. Everybody knows your business too. Probably before you do. Turned too fast in your driveway? Your momma is gonna hear about it. Stayed out too late and got caught? You best bet that whole congregation knows by Sunday morning.

Small towns also have a way of coming together though, especially in times of trouble. Benefit dinners are held when houses burn down. Communities come together to support the high school in raising money for the prom. Local scholarship committees help send kids to college. The gossip and everybody knowing your business issue pales in comparison to the support and love that can come out of small towns.

Small towns, especially in the south are not places rolling in money. Many of the people in these towns work jobs some see as simple. If there's one thing a small town can teach you, it's the honesty of hard work. Helping your grandfather chop wood and move it to the shed. Working on the same farm your father worked on. Running a mechanic shop. Owning and waitressing at a restaurant. Working at the only gas station in town. There's nothing wrong with good, hard work, no matter what it is. You do not have to be a lawyer or doctor to be successful. Being from a small town means you either had one of those jobs or know someone who does. Small towns teach you the importance of those jobs.

They all have their quirks.

Maybe it's a questionable barbeque place with some of the best food. The devotion to Friday night football games no matter your age. Maybe it's the over the top rivalry between two towns, or the one older man who walks the blocks of town stopping to say hi to everyone. That "southern charm" mixed with that "small town" charm is the thing movies are made of. The characters that make up these towns are the ones who make it home.

Funny people, sacred traditions, and the kindred that small towns breed all make them so much more appealing. The quirks make them what they are.

Small towns are something many do not understand. The idea of driving 45 minutes for fast food and everything closing by 8:00 p.m. holds them back. They never experience the joy of watching their children grow up with their best friends children or going back to their alma mater to watch their kids graduate. They don't get the satisfaction of calling the only restaurant in town and them already knowing their order. They miss out on the fried pies brought to you by the ladies at church. The boys next door don't help you move into your new nouse.

Small towns in the south teach us who we are. They make us realize how much people can mean to you. They show the importance of being kind to one another and keeping your secrets to yourself. They teach us to work hard and enjoy the little things.

So here's to growing up in small towns.