Just A Small-Town Girl...

I have lived in a small town in south-central Tennessee for all of my 18 years.

Wanna know what our town is known for? Mules. Yeah, you read that right, mules as in the smelly farm animal. Other towns nearby are known for awesome stuff, like country music, Jack Daniel's Whiskey, Moon Pies. What do we get stuck with? Mules. We even have Mule Day on the first Saturday in April every year. We have a big parade and everything. They even crown a Mule Queen. Yes, seriously. I can't go anywhere without running into someone I know. I know every single bookstore owner  in town by name. Okay, we only have two bookstores here, but still... I've never been more than 400 miles away from my hometown. I know just about everything there is to know about this place. I could give a guided tour. I can show you where Andrew Jackson had an office. Or where the Civil Rights Movement picked up momentum in  Tennessee. I know what you're probably thinking: "Is she crazy? It would be amazing to live in a town with so much history!" I know, and it is, but this is all I've ever known. I want to experience something new for a little while. What's it like to live somewhere where no one knows you or your parents or your cousins or anyone affiliated with you in any way? What's it like to not hear coyotes howling in the distance on especially lonely summer nights? What's it like to not hear the high school football game from your back porch on Friday nights in the fall?  What's it like to not know your neighbors and parts of their past? What's it like to not live in a town that your ancestor had a hand in founding? Can you tell me? Because I certainly don't know.

Reviews

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My town has less than 100 people living in it so I know all about small towns. It's ironic to read your piece because when I was 18 I thought I would always live here. Then, when I married and moved away to work I thought I could only ever visit here but could certainly never live here. Now, I am back here, after seeing a lot of the world, and I find myself drawing on the place of my birth for strength; now I don't think I could ever live anywhere else. Something tells me that you will eventually live in places where no one knows you but that you will always draw on your little town for writing strength. I really enjoyed this write!

[wordman]

well I can relate I was born in Chickamauga,ga and we have our share of mules
but back in the day you wasn`t crap if you didn`t own a mule