1. The ability to fully understand just how unique small-town life is

Going from a small town to college, where I met people of many different backgrounds, I realized many people don’t understand what it's like to grow up like I did. The idea of knowing every single person’s name in your graduating class seems lost on others. Moving outside of a small community, I realized just how blessed I was to get the opportunity to be a part of that.

2. Teaching me how to be kind

Small towns are notorious for their “hello, neighbor” feel. Everybody knows everybody, and, generally, everybody is nice to everybody else. Growing up in a small town, you begin to understand that a simple "hello" or a smile can go a long way. You learn quickly that kindness is rooted at the heart of small communities. Whenever a tragedy strikes a small town, the hurt is felt throughout the entire community. There is no doubt that the community will rally together to fix the hurting. From these small actions that exist all over my community, I learned how to be kind and how to care.

3. That life can be simple

Life in a city is always fun and energetic, but for someone who grew up small, it's nice to know that home consists of peacefulness. There is no rush hour and rarely much traffic. Having one stoplight in your town was usually a big deal. Crime rates are low, and you really never have to fear the outside world. You can relax. When returning home, you have the ability to not be around crowds and to not deal with the chaotic ways of a city life.

4. Learning to love the outdoors

Growing up, there was always the ability to be outside. If it was nice, my summer days consisted of boating, swimming, and enjoying the outdoors. Going on long walks by the lake or through a pasture... Either way, you learned to love the beauty of nature. From a young age, you learned how to hunt and fish, and learned to really enjoy both. You learned that being outside was part of who you are.

5. Learning to love small-town traditions

The small-town traditions are what you lived for in high school. Homecoming was one of the most exciting weeks you would have throughout each year. Bonfires and get-togethers where typical weekend plans. Grand March before prom made you feel like you were a celebrity, even if it was only for one night. The summer parades and the summer festivals meant that your summer would never go without excitement. These traditions are the exact things I find myself missing while I'm at college.

6. Learning to love Friday nights

For many reasons, Friday nights are always the best. People living in a city may get excited about going out, in a small town we get excited about sports, and more specifically, FOOTBALL! Throughout the fall, every Friday night was game night, and you couldn’t be doing anything else, because the football team was playing. Most of the community would pack into one stadium just to watch the high school team play. No matter where the team traveled, it always had a large fan base. Sports aren’t just games in small towns, they are a way of life.

7. Teaching me how to be creative

There's no doubt that small town life can be boring, especially if you are a teenager looking to have some fun. Growing up in a small hometown taught you how to be creative in the ways that you entertained yourself on the weekends. Just because concerts and dances are prevalent doesn’t mean that you will be bored on any given Saturday night.

8. For always having a home to come back to

No matter where I would travel throughout the world, I know where home is. I know where my values and my beliefs are rooted, and that's exactly where I can come back to. If ever I miss the ways of life in my small hometown, I know I can come back and it will be like nothing has changed. Time seems to stand still when you live in a small town. I would love nothing else than someday, when I get lonely and I am longing for home, to be able to drive back to my hometown, to know that all of the memories and traditions are still there, and that I will always still be a girl who had the privilege to grow up in a small town.