Dear Hometown,
I want to apologize.
I want to apologize for all the time I took for granted while calling you my home. I am sorry for wishing my time with you would be cut short and for taking every opportunity to get out of you. I am sorry that in a few short weeks you will have to watch me pack up the car and move hundreds of miles away. But know that when I make my journey south, I will never forget you.
I will miss waking up to the sound of a train speeding past. I will miss the buzz in the air that surrounds the town on Friday nights. I’ll miss seeing familiar faces as I walk down the streets. I will miss days spent at the beach and getting so sea sick from tubing that I feel like I will pass out in the middle of the lake. I’ll miss waking up early to check and see if your name is on the school closings list, knowing every time it won’t be despite the chilling temperatures and mountains of snow. I’ll miss the friends that I made here and all of the amazing people you put into my life. But most importantly, I will miss the memories that we shared.
I’ve spent my whole life with you, a whopping 18 years. You watched me learn how to ride a bike. You saw my look of fear as I realized I accidentally ate the first tooth I lost. You cringed as I got dressed in my hideous, blue and sparkly dress for my eighth-grade dinner dance. You watched me get my first job, go to prom, and walk across the stage to accept my diploma. We hit a lot of important milestones, you couldn’t possibly think I could forget about you after all we’ve been through, could you?
You’ve shaped me as a person. You have watched me grow up and evolve, and you have led me to be the person I am today. You’ve taught me to enjoy the little things, and that sometimes it doesn’t hurt to take a break from my hectic life and watch the sunset because let’s be honest, you have the best sunset in all of the midwest. You’ve taught me to be independent and to stand up for what I believe in. You have taught me to become involved, and to give everything I do 1,000 percent. I appreciate everything you have done for me and all the important lessons you’ve instilled in me.
So as I start to pack up my belongings and prepare to leave, know that you will always have a special place in my heart and that I will be back. I could never leave you in the dust because of all the experiences I have had with you, and I know there will be more to come. Dorothy was right, there truly is “no place like home.”
Don’t take this as a goodbye, but take it as a see you later.
Love always,
Jaymie Pampush
