When I tell people that I graduated with 46 people, their mouths usually drop to the floor. I get comments like “I would’ve hated that” and “There would be, like nobody to date.” Yes, there was only one building that housed first graders all the way up to seniors, but I wouldn’t have wanted to grow up any other way. Coming from a small town gave me the freedom to participate, to grow as a leader and make life-lasting friendships along the way. We are the few, the proud, the small-towned.
One thing that a small town will always give is a community of individuals who truly care about one another. With fewer people to know, it made it easier for people to know each other on a deeper level. One neighbor’s sorrows were the community’s. People didn’t turn their backs on one other but instead put on fundraisers at the local memorial building to help neighbors in need. It also helped establish a safe environment where kids could roam free of worry and parents could be certain that their children were safe. I remember never being worried about my surroundings. (Although we were warned not to go on the other side of the railroad tracks. That was a no no.)
The main reason my parents chose to raise my brother and me in a small town was the opportunity to participate in everything. Small towns have an advantage over large ones because of their ability to involve anyone. I was able to participate in volleyball, theatre, track, speech, philanthropy and youth, FCA, FCCLA, Art Club, tutoring, choir and swing choir, and I still had time to graduate with honors. I never had to choose between the things I wanted to be involved in due to competition or lack of time. It allowed me to grow as an individual and as a leader. Yes, we did not have the more eccentric clubs or sports, but what we did have was the ability to get heavily involved in what we wanted. It also helped develop great relationships with teachers because often they were the ones coaching or leading the after school programs.
Another thing that I took for granted in a small town was the ability to grow up with everyone you went to school with. It established a binding friendship that eventually turned into way more than I ever expected. Everyone in your grade went through the dreaded “junior high phase” together. If that can’t bring people closer together, then I don’t know what can. You never needed to be fake with anyone because people knew you for the real you and they accepted it. Growing up, we shared our lives with one another and created years of unforgettable memories. Students spend more time in school than they do at home, which produces a pseudo-family with the individuals in your grade. Everyone joked that we were family, but the truth is that some of those people knew me better than my real family and I miss that family sometimes even more than I miss my real family.
Many people feel ashamed that they grew up in a smaller town that didn’t have all the bells and whistles of a larger one. However, I feel the opposite. I loved my town of 2,000 people and how it shaped me into the person I am today. I enjoyed the constant summer days at the local pool. I miss the excitement over the homecoming game, even though we would probably lose. I loved coming to school knowing my best friend would be at her locker waiting to walk to class with me. I long for the late nights around the campfire talking about what we were going to do after high school was over. I wish I could tell my community “Thank you.”
Whether you’re from a small town or not, don’t make assumptions about it just because it only has two bars, a library, and a gas station. Make your judgments based on the community and its ability to care for each member. The small town of Kindred and its people will always hold a special place in my heart.
