Growing up in a small town is a unique experience. News travels fast, you can't go to the grocery store without seeing everyone you know, and there isn't much to do so you have to get creative. Growing up in a smaller area changes your perspective on life and the world around you. There's a lot of small towns, but there is no place quite like Gray, Georgia. There are certain things you know all too well coming from Gray.
1. You go to Dairy Queen after school.
Everyone does. It's like the unwritten rule of Jones County High School. The people that work there know you by your first name and they know your order.
2. The phrase "let's go to Macon!"
Or the phrase "it's near Macon" when asked where you're from. Since Macon is the nearest metropolitan city, and the only place where you can find a Walmart, a mall, or anything to do, that's usually what a Saturday consisted of.
3. Greyhounds Football is not a school event, but a community event.
Are you really from Gray if you didn't grow up spending every Friday night at the football field? Or of you didn't go to Waffle House afterwards? Football players might as well be celebrities in Gray.
4. There are very loud trucks at every turn.
Don't try to socialize in the parking lot after school. You can't hear over the sound of the trucks. You also have at least 10 Toyota Tacoma owners in your graduating class. Oh, and don't be surprised if you see someone riding a tractor down the road. Nothing shocks you in good ol' JC.
5. The skating rink.
You spent every Friday (and most Saturday nights) at the skating rink, as long as it wasn't a football night. Everyone you knew was there. The skating rink was the place to go.
6. The battle of the middle schools.
The Clifton Ridge Middle School vs Gray Station Middle School football game was a huge event in your grade school career. And, since there are two middle schools that feed into the same high school, you will get into debates over which one is better once you hit the ninth grade.
7. The Ninth Grade Academy.
Once you hit middle school, you begin hearing horror stories about NGA. It is gross, old, and probably not very safe. While you're there, you hate it. When you leave, you'll see it as the place that helped shape you.
8. Everyone in your graduating class.
You know everyone you graduate with by name. You may not talk to them every day, but you know them. Gray isn't very big. You probably know everything about them too because news spreads like wildfire.
9. You'll miss it when you leave.
Don't get me wrong, it feels good to leave and experience new things, but when you leave, you will miss your little hometown. There is something about the feeling of community that Gray offers you can't find elsewhere, and it will leave you feeling nostalgic.
10. You always have a home there.
Gray is home, and the people there are family. Regardless of where you go or what you do, Gray will always greet you with a smile and say, "welcome home, sweetheart."
