11 Realizations About Small Town Life

This past week I went home for Thanksgiving and am now reflecting on my time there. I grew up on a farm, near what most people would refer to as a small town. Small town farm life is like no other and when compared with my life living in a college town, it is quite different. Here’s what I realized when I went home:

You can survive without a Target, Starbucks, or Victoria’s Secret around the corner. I grew up that way for 18 years of my life. When I went to college I was amazed at how convenient it was to have stores like that within a few minutes drive. However, I can really do without them and so can my bank account.

High school sports = life. If you don’t play sports in high school….well that’s just plain weird. In high school in a small town your world basically revolves around sports, especially basketball, with a little bit of school thrown in. Sports create the community of a small town and are the drive behind what brings everyone together. Throughout my time in college I’ve seen where high school sports taught me many life lessons, such as discipline to name one. I would love to be out there on the court again with the girls I grew up playing with.

Small town gossip never ends. One of the main reasons I was ready to get away from home for college is the eat-you-alive gossip and drama that always clouds over you. I was once again reminded this weekend that it is still in full force.

Living in the country is the best. You have space. You have land of your own. Our closest neighbors are my grandparents who live across the pasture from us. Here at college my neighbors are a wall and ceiling away. That is not space to me.

Family is a blessing. I am so incredibly blessed to be a part of the family that I am. I love getting to watch my cousins grow up and to spend time with my grandparents. I know that they are always supporting me and encouraging me in whatever I am pursuing.

It’s nice to be known. At college I live in a large town where I definitely don’t know everybody. When I go home it’s nice to just be known and recognized. I’m not trying to sound like I’m famous and crave attention, but it’s nice when people know what family I come from and who I am.

Agriculture is our livelihood. I will forever be thankful that I grew up on my family’s farm. I have a deep appreciation for agriculture that is ingrained within me.

The smell of dairies and dirt smell like heaven. This always happens on my drive home. I get about 30 minutes away from home and suddenly the smell hits me–dairy cows. I inhale as deep as I can and can’t get enough. Some people would have their gag reflexes kick in and would say it smells like sh*t. To me it smells like home.

Animals remind you of the simple joys in life. It always makes me happy when my dog Marley bounds and hops over to me full of excitement to welcome me home. I love hearing the birds chirping and squawking when I wake up. I love seeing the cattle grazing on green winter wheat. I love when our cats hop on my lap to try to steal a sip of my coffee.

New Mexico is beautiful. People seem to think that New Mexico is a God-forsaken, terrible place. Especially when I’m home, I see beauty in the most mundane things. When it comes to photography my home is definitely my muse. Give me a camera and I can show you how beautiful New Mexico is.

I’m sure as I continue to get older and possibly not even live in New Mexico anymore, I will continue to see how my small town farm upbringing has strongly influenced my view on life. It’s nice to take the time to reflect and take note of things like this for times when I need to be reminded of my roots.

Anyway, have a great first day of December and a wonderful week! I’m off to school to start my last week of student teaching!

What does going home make you realize? What is your hometown like?