For the past 12 years, I have lived in the same small town.

A town where I can work at the local grocery store and everyone will say, “Tell your mom and dad I said hey and that I miss them.” A town where everyone literally knows everyone. A town that I was always to get out of, but am now starting to miss.

To the Town That I Know Every Backroad Like the Back of My Hand

Thank you. Thank you for endless roads that my friends and I took those midnight drives down. Those backroads have many memories and hold a special place in my heart. Although most of the time, we were probably doing things we weren’t supposed to be doing, that’s what made it all the more fun. Those dirt roads hold so much meaning. Whether we just wanted to drive, or we pulled off somewhere in the middle of nowhere to have a bonfire, we could always count on those backroads to be there.

To the Town That Treated Everyone Like Family

Thank you for always checking up on me. Whether I knew you or not, when people would come into my job and ask about college and tell me I’m going to do great, that gave me the confidence I needed. To everyone that came to the volleyball games to cheer not just me, but everyone else on, thank you for the support. The parents of my friends who treated me like their own would always be there to put me back in place because they could give me a reality check sometimes better than my own mama. Everyone is like a big family in my town, and while I used to hate the fact I lived in such a small town like that, I realize now it’s shaped me to be the person I am now.

To the Town That Pushed Me to Leave

While that might seem like a bad thing, it’s really not. I didn’t like living in my town and it pushed me to get out and do what I wanted to do. And that’s how I ended up here. Now that I’ve moved away, I’ve grown as a person. And I got out of the town that people never really leave. Everyone says they’re getting out and moving away, but more than half will stay. And I couldn’t be a part of that percentage that did stay. Although, I do miss it at times, but I know I won’t move back.

So, to the tiny little town of Blacksburg, South Carolina, thank you.