I grew up in your typical small town where everyone knows everyone and you can't walk into the grocery store without seeing at least one person you know. The town where not much happens, and when something does it's a big deal. My hometown is the place all of us kids couldn't wait to see in our rear view mirror. Now that I have left my hometown semi-permanently, I can see everything I was leaving behind and I realized that I owe my hometown a "thank you" for all it has done for me and prepared me for.

Thank you for:

1. Giving me a fun and memorable childhood

Being an adult has it perks, but there's nothing I wouldn't give to go back in time and really cherish the times when the only thing I had to stress about was when I was going to hangout with my neighbors that day.

2. Letting me meet some of the best friends I could've asked for

If I hadn't been raised here I would've never met a lot of my friends and I wouldn't be the person I am today without them. Even though many of us have gone our separate ways, I'll always consider you guys my friends.

3. Always making me feel safe

Whether it was at work, school, or my neighborhood, I have never felt unsafe or in any kind of danger in my hometown. I felt completely comfortable walking to and from my car after a late night grocery shopping trip or while walking downtown late at night with my friends for Movies In The Park.

4. Missing it while I was gone

The first time I left my hometown for an extended period of time was when I moved to college right after high school. It was then that I realized how much I missed my quaint tiny town and all of its quirks.

5. Being the place where many lessons were learned

There have been many firsts in my hometown. Some of them good, some not so good but that's okay because I have learned many lessons here the hard way.

6. Always making me feel like I have a place where I belonged

Right after I moved away to college I had a hard time figuring out where I belonged and was just trying to find my place. But I know that no matter where life takes me after college, my hometown will always welcome me back.

7. Giving us the desire to get out and experience something different

I am thankful that I was eager to leave my hometown because if I hadn't had that desire, I wouldn't have chosen the best college for me which is where I am at right now, and I wouldn't have had the same opportunities and experiences that I have now.

It's okay to want to leave your hometown and go explore new options. But before you leave, reflect on all the great memories and friends this town has given you and realize that you are lucky to have grown up here. Some people don't get the opportunity to have a love for their hometown like I do for mine.