There are two kinds of people in the world: those who cherish every detail of their hometown and wish to stay there for the rest of their lives and raise a family there one day, and those who wish to flee their hometown as soon as they possibly can.

I fall into that second category. Don't get me wrong, I love good ole Murfreesboro, but there is just something intriguing about the idea of seeing what else the world has to offer. I chose to leave my hometown, which is a town that has a state university, to go to a university three hours away. I have not once regretted my choice to leave behind what I established there. I am forever thankful for the memories, experiences, friends, and great times that Murfreesboro has blessed me with. Although, that time of my life has passed and I am ready to move on into another part of the world that is patiently awaiting my arrival.

The one thing that sucks about going to college away from home is that when I go home for the summer and winter break, all I do is work because there is nothing else for me to do there anymore. It is not my "home" anymore, it is my hometown, which in my eyes is a big difference. I feel like I am thrown back into the same rut that everybody else who stays in that town is in. It is an awesome place to grow up in and my high school is a place that I will forever cherish due to our awesome traditions, faculty and that we were all one big family. However, my hometown is a place where I go back and see people doing the exact same thing they were doing a year ago, or even two years ago. Maybe I am just a busy body and I like the idea of change too much, but that to me is not a life I want to live.

I want to live in a big city with the beautiful lights, the loud people and music, the horns of taxi drivers and anybody else trying to get through traffic, with the "city that never sleeps" surroundings. I enjoy the rush, the creativity, the bright ideas, and the opportunities that come with living in a big city. My ideal future home would be to live in New York City, Atlanta, or Boston.

I like the rustic and simple look. I enjoy the little things, and I, for one, could definitely live in a one-bedroom studio apartment on top of a bar that played loud music until 3am in the Big Apple of New York City. I enjoy being my myself and I find peace and comfort in music, writing and painting, which are all things that would go perfectly with a one-bedroom studio apartment lifestyle.

I can't decide if this is just me growing up too fast, or if the people from my hometown are just twenty steps behind me, but there is so much more in the world for me to learn about and appreciate. The heart of my happiness would stem from me watering my indoor hanging plants in my one-bedroom studio apartment while listening to Hozier, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Beatles and Flume. I don't need expensive things or an expensive car or anything of that nature. The most expensive thing I would have is my rent to pay on my studio apartment simply because it is right in the heart of the city.

Many people are always talking about what their life goals are. Well, these are mine. I have simple goals, yet to me they are those of pure joy and happiness that I am very proud to have. I look forward to the day that I can't sleep at night because the lights in the Big Apple are so bright and the music downstairs is still going at 4am. It sounds like it would be miserable, but to me it will be something that I treasure because I have looked forward to these interruptions for so many years.

For those of you who are on the same path as me of wanting to get away from home, I hope you flee too and I hope you never look back. For those of you who plan on staying at home, that is awesome too. I just hope that you find something to do that you truly admire and treasure just as much as I value the idea of newness, change, and adventure. There is nothing wrong with staying in your hometown, just as long as you too don't get stuck in the same rut of everyday life like everybody else has.

With all the hustle and bustle of today's world, I truly look forward to the day that I have a place of my own that I can feel comfort, peace, and security in. Having 'your place' is very important, it just so happens that mine is in a one-bedroom studio apartment in the heart of a big city, and I can't wait to get there.