Growing up in a small town, everyone knew of every living soul and what their middle names were. We knew what each kid's parents did for a living and what kind of cars each one of us drove.
Even if it was that guy who didn't make an ounce of noise, we knew his backstory. We knew where he worked and who he was related to because that's how small-town people operate.
The majority, if not all, had this way of thinking. It was so important to know what was going on with our next door neighbors at all times, what Abby from down the street was doing with her life after graduation, and what the principal planned on doing for the holidays.
And God forbid you said something that threw the smooth operation out of whack, like casually mentioning your religious or political beliefs, or standing up for someone or something that was against your morals.
If you kissed too many boys at parties, you were looked down upon. If you were the only one in the grade that had a visible tattoo and wore thick eyeliner, you were stared at for being bold and different.
It was a lot of pressure trying to play the part of a small-town girl, a part I didn't fit into.
Small towns do, in fact, have small minds. It's like they are on a planet of their own and you must obey, or else you aren't welcome.
Being in the theater academy, the theater kids, of course, were a joke to the class. We played pretend too much or we were too dramatic in social situations. However, we knew how to have fun, unlike the rest.
When it was around the time to figure out what we wanted to do for the rest of our lives, it seemed like everyone whipped out their planners and engraved their schedules in. They knew what colleges they wanted to go to and where they wanted to move to. They wanted their Doctorate degrees as well as their color-coordinated weddings that they so intricately planned on Pinterest.
Everything was figured out!
I can remember wanting to go into the medical field and be just like everyone else who had already figured their lives out. I would be making great bank, but for what? The image of studying x-rays (I wanted to be a radiologist) in scrubs started to kick in. I would've died at an early age from boredom.
Being in the academy, I realized I was more on the creative and artsy side. I knew that writing and being part of productions made me feel the most alive, so I considered film production. I loved watching movies, so why couldn't I be a part of making them?
My mom didn't even give it a second thought. She automatically welcomed my dreams into her arms as it was the same thing that she wanted to do growing up, except she didn't have the support I did. My dad questioned it at first until he saw that I was serious.
When I confronted my guidance counselor with what I wanted to go to school for, she was a little confused since I jumped from medical school to film school. She assumed that I wanted to become an actress, but I had to further explain to her that I wanted to be behind the camera. It appeared to be unheard of.
When I told my friends (not my theater friends) what I wanted to do after high school, this one girl looked down at me and said my name in the most disappointed tone as if I just said something funny. I was serious.
That was when I confirmed it, that I did not belong in a small town. I had always known that I was different and belonged somewhere bigger and more open-minded.
Just because I saw the world differently, I was looked down upon for pursuing my dreams. I was looked at like I was crazy.
I was being molded by my town's standards while what I really wanted was to get the hell out of there, break through its walls, and go above and beyond. Like Jen Sincero put it in "You Are A Badass", I blasted out of my comfort zone and followed my heart into the great unknown.
That takes guts.
I've experienced the confused looks as well as the classic "how are you going to support yourself?" questions. Instead of being happy for my decisions to live a happy life, they are simply trying to hold me back into the small-town ways.
When my family and I moved out of there and into the city, the difference of the people was quite a leap. City people could care less about what you do for a living, and they are way less critical. They also appear to be happier and in their zones.
Needless to say, it's necessary to leave behind those who stick to their ways and think they know what's best for you, when in reality, only you know what's best for you.
I saw a quote recently and I can't stop thinking about it, as it relates to what I'm saying. "Blessed are the curious, for they shall have adventures."
My advice to you dreamers is to stop being around people who make you feel less than who you are. If you don't fit in, it's time to grow out of them.
You just need to wriggle free from the sticky web of haters. That is all.
