I've lived in numerous places. However, the place I have the most memories in is Houston, Missouri. I never understood the impact that that small town would have on my until I moved. There are small things you don't notice you are predisposed to until you notice those characteristics lacking in other people. You go to hang out at someone's house or parties and there are key elements that are missing in people you so desperately want to have them. Which, I am not trying to depress anyone, but since living in Rolla I've noticed there is a difference between those who grow up in a party town and those of us who grew up knowing everyone's name
1. You REALLY do know everyone
When I say you know everyone, its not just you know of them. Their mom works at your bank, their dad is the baseball coach. You don;t know a stranger because well, your community is so tight knit. You have to watch your mouth and the way you act because someone, somewhere is going to tell your momma and you're gonna get into some trouble. It was a place where you were held accountable, that you were supported, and you could almost be a celebrity if you did anything noteworthy. I miss being held to that sort of standard in which everybody is watching.
2. Taking laps
There is nothing better than driving around town in the same circle, with your best friend listening to Beautiful Soul and singing (more like screaming) it at the top of your lungs. I've wasted no telling, how many tanks of gas, laughing, taking pictures for snap chat, and even maybe racing some of our other friends around town. It's just what we did and to this day ill catch myself, finding out ways to drive a circle around, granted a much bigger town trying to imitate that feeling.
3. Talking in parking lots
These places were sanctified and after a certain time, they were no longer just places to park, it was a place to sit on someones tailgate and talk for hours. About really anything. Your work, the people you don't like, heck we even use to bring guitars out and sing. It was simple. I've met people who could make amusement parks boring; however I've also met people who could make a parking lot a joy ride. We would find the magical in the mundane, and we would be happy with what we were given.
4. Waving, AT EVERYONE
When you drove down the street your hand was constantly coming up to give the two finger friendly hoo dee doo to anyone that crossed your path. And you know what? They all waved back.
5. Roads made of dirt
If we all weren't driving around town, or talking in a parking lot, we were back roading. That is where I learned to laugh the loudest, drift my eclipse, and get lost looking at the stars on some county road in the middle of no where.
6. Summers were for rivers
I went floating with my boss if that can tell you anything about how important rivers are to people from Houston. As soon as the weather got warm enough we would all grab a towel (and use that same one for the duration of the summer, where it sat in the back seat of our cars getting stepped on) and not come back around until the leaves started to fall. It's where we bonded, paddled boats, and screamed when we toppled them over. It's where we learned to work together, listen for deer, and where we could drink openly without worrying who was gonna catch us. It's where we would fish and not catch anything, its where we would talk and not expect anything back.
7. Bonfires
They have a few here, I won't lie. However not like the ones back home. It could be big, or small, but the most important part of what happened at a bonfire is that we talked. There is something about living in a town where young adults only focus on two things; college and drinking that makes them almost impossible to have a conversation with. Their final is coming up, they can't wait to go hit the gym. they can drink WAY more than you. It's what I would call the opposite of stimulating. In a small town you learn someone. You learn what makes them mad, about their past, about their quirks and their skills and their souls. We talked, and we talked differently. And maybe we talked we those who's hearts are still open and vulnerable. Maybe we talked the way we did because we didn't know how mean the world could be. We just knew our place, our town, and we were safe there.
8. Living down the street from grandma, or even your best friend
Since I have moved, my best friend lives 2 hours away from me, my grandma lives an hour. The most I can say about this is that, you have no idea how much you miss your support system, until you move away from it. I can't just pop in for a visit. Everything I do has to be planned and well timed out.
9. You are loyal to where you work
Because lets face it, there wasn't that many options. Living in Rolla has really messed with me because even if there is a better opportunity for employment, its really hard for me to leave the place that I am at. The people you worked for weren't just your bosses; they were your friends. You would go to their home and have lunch with them. You went to school with their kids and their grandkids. You couldn't leave because you said you would work for them, and you would work hard for them. You couldn't leave because they were part of your family.
10. You appreciated the small things
It could be to going shopping to getting a Starbucks Frappuccino. Those things were extra special to us because, we couldn't do it at home. Going up to Springfield or Saint Louis was an all day event, even a sort of mini vacation. We lived for the small things, like bonfires, Friday nights, and football games. We didn't have a big event every other day, so when things did happen, they meant the world to us.
Rolla has it's own special charms and I've met some wonderfully amazing people since living here. It's just different. But because of the way I grew up, the way I was raised, and the difference I do see; I'll always have an attachment to that town I said I couldn't wait to get out of. Despite everything, it found a special place in my heart and is its own sort of shrine to the memories that were made there. I will always be thankful to have grown up in a little, average, nothing, small town.
