I am from St. George, SC. I’m betting that you’ve never heard of this small town with an approximate population of 2,000 people, and you might never experience it outside of reading this article. And I don’t blame you; I typically don’t visit random small towns either. Actually, I thought for a long time that all I wanted to do was get as far away as possible from this town. But quarantine has made me appreciate it so much deeper than I did before.
One of the first things I appreciated about coming back home was all the people that were excited to see me again. Whenever I come home, I love walking into literally any store. ANY STORE. Because when I do, there is always someone that works there that asks me how college is treating me and how my momma is doing. And yes, maybe sometimes I’m in a rush and don’t necessarily want to talk, but having someone care about you always feels good.
Which leads to my next piece of appreciation — the local restaurants. Now, there might not be many, but the ones we do have are delicious, and, similar to the stores, the owners are always there to make sure you are doing alright. But, even more amazingly, they know your order of the top of their heads. Now, if you’re like me and change it up often it might be more difficult for them to have it ready after seeing your car pull up, but if you choose something completely out of your range they’ll notice for sure. Not to mention that I practically grew up in some of these places and I am sure there are a few childhood pictures of me (and other townsfolk) in the office or a waitress’s book somewhere.
There’s nothing quite like the country roads and air. While I love Charleston and can’t wait to get back, the air just smells better in my hometown. Sorry, not sorry. The views are so much better too. From the quaint, historic shops downtown to the open fields, it’s a whole other aesthetic to appreciate. And the car rides! Not having a lot to do means a lot of just riding around backroads with the windows down while your and your best friend play your favorite songs loud enough to drown out the bad singing.
I guess what I’m trying to say here is that while being sent home for quarantine wasn’t ideal, to say the least, I’ve been able to take time out and appreciate where I’m at and what I have. And I completely realize how corny this is, but honestly, taking time to enjoy the little things does make a huge difference. So, I challenge you to call up a friend and go for a ride, see what you can appreciate about your hometown while you can.