Some people are just too big for their towns. This is something my freshman roommate, now one of my best friends, always told me. At first, I didn’t quite understand or relate to what she was saying. She just said, “One day, you’ll get it.”

Coming from a small town, the thought of going to college in a big city was very intimidating. It had always been a dream of mine to go to a big university, but I had always thought I would return home after college, settle down, and raise a family in the same place I was raised. However, as time has gone on, my thoughts about the future have changed.

Freshman year, I went home every other weekend, sometimes more than that. I was often homesick. I missed my family. I missed my friends. I yearned for the place that was such a tremendous part of my life. There were many times I contemplated transferring somewhere closer to home, but something in my heart told me just to stick it out. It was my dream. Even though it was difficult, scary, and lonely at times, it was the greatest decision I’ve ever made.

At some point during my sophomore year, my sweet little town started to feel a little less like home. The old marquee sign at the theater was still the same. My high school hadn’t changed. The red lights were still just as slow, but something was different. I felt out of place. I realized that I didn’t belong there anymore. The place that helped mold me, that gave me innumerable memories, that was once such a big part of me, was no longer where I wanted to spend the rest of my life.

It was very difficult for me to fathom the idea of never moving back home, but I knew in that moment that my hometown had nothing left to give me. God has more in store for my future than that little town can handle. I finally understood that I was too big for my town.

Now three years have passed since I moved off to college. I’ve created a new home here in my college town. I’ve come to realize that even though I want to go see the world or live in a big city, my hometown will always be there. I can always come back. I wouldn’t be where I am today without my little town. It shaped me into the person I’ve become, and I will be forever thankful for that.

If there’s anything I’ve learned in college about life, it’s that it’s okay to follow your dreams. It’s okay if your dreams change. It’s okay to move away and make a life somewhere else. So to all of you out there who are experiencing this same dilemma, don’t be afraid. You can have roots and wings.