One-stoplight town. One-horse town. That place you stop in to get gas and some chips and are (usually) greeted by a friendly person behind the counter before you head back onto the road to your actual destination. It's a small town. We've all been to one, whether we're just passing through or like so many of us, are actually from and have grown up in our entire lives.
We know the pain of explaining to someone where we are from based off of the closest city. We know not to bother asking someone what they are doing on Friday night because we already know they'll be watching the high school football game with everyone else in town. We understand that joke about people hanging out at their local Wal-Mart for fun because that's what we actually did. We don't get angry when we see a tractor taking up the entire road because we're used to it (and some of you have even been the ones driving it before). We are used to everyone knowing our business and we know that if there's a rumor about you. it's going to spread throughout the entire school, and even to the teachers, by third period. We know that there is a whole other world out there outside of our small town, but only some of us are willing to go out and experience it.
There are two types of small town people. All of us fall into one of these categories, and it's time to figure out which one you are in.
1. The ones who stay.
These are the ones who do stay after they graduate high school. They might attend a local college or get a job and marry their high school sweetheart shortly after graduation, but they always stay close to home. Whether these people just love the town they live in or are afraid of what is out there in the world, they've made the decision to stay and it's almost impossible to change their minds.
2. The ones who leave.
As you can assume, these are the ones who leave after they graduate. They attend college hours away, maybe even in a different state (like myself) and never look back. These are the ones you see traveling the world and often cringe at the thought of coming back home at all. Once they get out of the small town that consumed their first eighteen years of life, they wonder why they didn't leave sooner (until they remember that they couldn't have because, ya know, minors and all).
So, you small town folks out there, which one are you? Did you leave the nest the second you could, or did you stay back and continue living at home, probably attending all the high school football games like you have since you can remember? For those of you who left, good for you. Go out there and experience all that the world has to offer. Post those pictures of you laughing it up with your best friend you met in college while you're backpacking through Europe. And for those of you who stayed, good for you as well. You are the ones who are able to say that they've had the same best friend since they were five and I'm happy for you when I see that she's going to be your maid of honor and the godmother to your first born child. We all want something different in the world and there's nothing wrong with that.
No matter the category you fall under, you are still a small town person and always will be. So, continue explaining how you are 45 minutes south of *insert big city name here* to those who have no idea where you're from, because it's never gonna stop.
