Let me start this out by saying I do love the town I grew up in. It's the place I spent every day in for eighteen years, and the place I returned to every summer I was in college. My hometown will always hold a special place in my heart.

However, I'm glad my time in my hometown is coming to an end.

I used to think I was a homebody. I've never been one to take off and travel. I only went to college an hour away from home and for a while, I considered staying even closer than that. I come home for every break, even during summer. I imagined myself living in the same town forever - my kids would go to the same school and have some of the same teachers as I did. They would go to school with kids whose parents I went to school with. I'd continue the same thing my mother did when she grew up. However, the older I've gotten, the less and less I've wanted this to happen. Now I'm to the point where I'm certain this WON'T happen.

I'm glad my time in my hometown is ending because I've grown up. I'm a lot different now than I was when I was eighteen and thought I had a good grasp on what I wanted my life to be like, hell, I'm a lot different now than I was a few months ago. My idea of a good life for myself, my future spouse, and my future children doesn't involve the small town everybody knows everybody atmosphere. It doesn't involve small-town drama and gossip. It doesn't involve close-minded (otherwise referred to as "traditional") thoughts. And while I don't picture myself moving off to a large city, I do see myself and my future family happier in a community much different than the one I grew up in.

For some people, their hometown is perfect for them forever. They find happiness there and to each their own. For me, I'd be much happier moving away. The memories I have will always have a special place in my heart, but they'll stay just that: memories. This isn't a town that will produce a future for me that I'll be happy with.

This is the end of a chapter. It hasn't even settled in yet that in just about a month I'll be packing up my bags and moving back to my college town, only to not return for anything more than the holidays. Next summer, I won't be living back home with mom and visiting grandma every day. I'll be living on my own, working at my first big girl job, and in a town that can support my goals and push me towards further success.

I'm thankful for my small town for making me who I am, but my time here is coming to an end.