As much as I love big cities, the small town I grew up in will always hold a special place in my heart. For anyone who has had the opportunity to grow up in a small town like I have, I hope you realize how truly blessed you are.

I loved growing up in a small town for many reasons. There’s a sense of familiarity that’s unlike any other. Its an experience that I wouldn't trade for the world. You can barely go anywhere without running into someone you know, you’ve been to every restaurant in town too many times to count because there’s only a few, every street and back road is etched into your mind as if it’s written on the back of your hand. Everyone You know someone who lives in just about every neighborhood—the list goes on and on. You hope that everyone loves your town as much as you do. My town for instance, is kind of famous for being known in 1954 for the smallest high school in Indiana to win a basketball state championship. We take pride in that even though it happened so long ago.

While growing up in a small town, you learn to find fun in everything. When there isn't a mall within 50 miles of your town, a concert every weekend, a huge sports stadium or an celebrity sighting, you learn that there’s more to life than just going places. In high school, my friends and I would lay by my pool during the summers and when it wasn't so warm outside, have many Steak n Shake runs and movie marathons. I known those group of girls since kindergarten, so being able to know them for so long was amazing.

Growing up in a small town was truly an amazing experience, you learn the true meaning of community. Sure, there might be a little more gossip floating around, but for the most part, you learn to help everyone out just because they would do the same for you. I trust the people who live in my town more than most people and know that if I were in need someone would be there to help out. If I got locked out of my house, or I needed to use someone’s phone, or wanted to know some of the best person is to go to when I need some advice, I know the majority of people I would ask would be willing to help. Knowing I have people who I can count on, whether I know them personally or not, is a very welcoming feeling.

I have lived in my town for a majority of my life, so you do need some time away. I’ve always heard the typical, I can’t wait to get out of this small town and start my life. I felt like so many people felt like living in a small town was holding them back, but that’s not how I felt in the slightest. In reality, though, I think that everyone who has grown up in a small town, deep down, truly does appreciate it. Deciding to go to college in a bigger city than what I’m used to—was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made, but it hasn’t made me wish I had grown up somewhere else. No matter how far away life takes me, something in some way will always bring me back to that small town.

Where you grow up truly does play a huge role in shaping who you are as a person, and I’m more than thankful for the small town I grew up in. I know that small towns aren’t for everyone, and I may not end up in a small town in the future, but I do know that I will always come back here.