I grew up in a little town in northeast Ohio. The ____41____ of how little people knew about Ohio came quickly after I went to school in central Pennsylvania. Though I lived ____42____ three and a half hours away, most of my classmates thought of Ohio as a whole different world. “Do you have to fly home? Do you live on a farm?” The ____43____ were never-ending. I was a ____44____ in their eyes.

As I grow older, I’m more and more ____45____ for my small town roots. Sure, my friends and I loved to ____46____ about how bored we were in the middle of nowhere; ____47____, as I finish up my junior year of college, I’m convinced that it took ____48____ our small town to realize how much we actually loved it and what exactly we loved about it.

The pace of life is slow and people ____49____ connecting to each other. You do more than just talk to your neighbors — in a lot of cases, they’re truly an ____50____ of your family. Much of this ____51____ centers around being outside and knowing the ins and outs of the town; being present and mindful of your ____52____ is a critical part of the culture.

As I move through my college years, I ____53____ the visits to my little hometown. I am grateful for the ____54____ that I had growing up and know that wherever my next adventure takes me, I can ____55____ my small town roots to lead me in the right direction.