Upon leaving for college, everyone in my senior high school class was excited to leave our home, a small suburban town in New Jersey. Everyone seemed to be eager to get out, live in a different part of the country, and just simply have new experiences outside of the bubble we grew up in. I was feeling that way too, even though I currently go to school relatively close to home.
It wasn’t until I had actually gone to school and was away from home for weeks––months even–– that I actually started to miss it. I was homesick, and a lot of those eager-to-get-away classmates of mine were too. Being homesick is something natural, something we all endure in our lives at one point or another.
While some people I know are happy to have moved on from my town, I think I speak for all of us when I say that we’re thankful to have grown up in such a nice place.
“We’re so lucky to have something like this to go back to.” One of my hometown friends had told me this when I was first started to really miss home, and she was so right. Not many people have the opportunity to call the comforting community we have home. The “small town” life may not be our favorite one, but it’s one we’ve been blessed to have.
I will always be thankful for my hometown, and truly cherish everything it has given me. From learning to swim in the town pool, getting pizza and homemade ice cream at our local shops, and smelling the nearby Nabisco Factory cookies when it’s about to rain, has created a beyond perfect environment to grow up in.
While all these aspects (and so, so much more) really describe my town, the most important aspect is the people and community. The relationships I have with best friends and family members were formed through the town. Everyone knows everyone, and neighbors are willing to lend a hand to each other. A friendly, familiar face can be seen anywhere, and people support each other. My town is a beyond loving, caring, and family-oriented community. It’s one that I will always miss and will always be thrilled to return to.
To me, home is a place, yet it’s also a feeling you get. Being at home is feeling comfortable, happy, and feeling loved by the people who surround you. My town has done exactly that.
So, here’s my thank-you to my hometown: thank you for being one of my favorite places, and for being a great place to call home. It’s taught me to cherish the small things and has shown me what it means to belong to a true community. Ultimately, it has shaped me into the person I am today, and I couldn’t be more thankful.