Edit Your Hometown

A visit to my hometown had me questioning the validity of my memories.

View from the north end of Hyrum Dam looking south to Powder Mountain.

If you’re reading this the day it was published then I’m currently driving home from a five-week trip in Utah. As much as I love living in Athens, Georgia, it’s nice to get away from the hot and humid southern summer weather. Summertime in Utah is hot and dry with the nighttime temperatures typically getting below 60 degrees Fahrenheit. I come to Utah most summers to see friends and family. I call this yearly trip the “family tax” that I have to pay for living away. I don’t mind it because my family usually has a great time. Our trip has been packed with family reunions, a wedding, day trips to see friends, and even some relaxation. 

Visiting Utah this year hit me in a way that I haven’t felt before. I felt nostalgic the entire time I was there. I caught up with a couple of people that I’ve been friends with since first grade. Over the past 10 years, I had drifted apart from them due to college, living abroad, and starting families. Now that we’re in our mid-thirties and our lives are starting to level out a bit, we were able to connect and talk about the old days. 

My friend Mick and I caught up for tacos one afternoon. We laughed about the time we met Vince Vaughn at Hyrum State Park when we were in the fifth grade. He still has the autograph Vince signed for him. I’ll write about that experience in a later post. I enjoyed hearing about his family and the work he’s doing. What I enjoyed the most was hearing about his memories from when we were kids. I don’t speak with too many people who knew me prior to 2015. So connecting with a long-time friend who knows me from when I was a dumb kid was a little surreal. He brought up stories that I forgot about. It was like reconnecting with a part of me I forgot existed. 

While staying at my parent's house, I took advantage of the cool morning air to take daily walks around my old neighborhood. As an angsty teenager and twenty-something-year-old, all I could think about was leaving Hyrum, Utah, where I grew up. My hometown felt so small and limited when I was a kid. And in many ways it was. That’s not to say it was a bad place to grow up, but it didn’t feel like it was where I was destined to live.

Now that I’m nearly 20 years removed from my high school years, I’ve grown to love Hyrum in a way that I never thought was possible. First, I found myself in awe of the natural beauty found in and around the town. Hyrum sits in between the Wellsville Mountains to the west and the Bear River Range to the east. Both ranges have peaks hovering around 10,000 feet. I could still see snow at the tops of the peaks in the middle of July. 

Second, Hyrum State Park is located a couple of blocks from where I grew up. The man-made reservoir is a popular summertime spot for boaters, swimmers, and fishers. I tried to get down to the lake as much as I could. Early in the morning, you can usually get down without paying the admission fee to get some quiet time to think and reflect. Gazing across the water to the south I could see Powder Mountain. I was lucky to grow up in such a beautiful place.

Third, I forgot about how tight-knit the community is. Granted, the community isn’t as connected as it used to be but I felt like neighbors looked after each other. The pace of life is much slower in a place like Hyrum compared to what I’m used to in Athens. People didn’t seem to mind that kids were driving go-karts around the streets. It wasn’t uncommon to see kids out riding their bikes. People seem to trust each other more compared to larger cities. Sure, you don’t get the same privacy you do in a bigger community but you also lack the security that smaller towns tend to have. 

As I walked around my hometown I found myself questioning the validity of my memories. Was it such a bad place? Probably not. Were people out to get me? Doubtful. Why did I despise it so much? My guess is that my feelings had more to do with me than the town itself. Following this logic to its core had me question the choices I made that led me to move to the other side of the country. Am I really happier in Georgia? I don’t know anymore.

I do know that if I hadn’t moved away from Utah then I wouldn’t have the professional experience I have. I wouldn’t have been able to connect with my wife and kids on a deeper level. We’ve been dependent on each other for nearly nine years. The lack of family support has had its benefits and challenges. I think I’m a better person for leaving my hometown to see what the world had to offer. Thanks to the experiences I’ve had, I’m able to appreciate my hometown of Hyrum, Utah on a profound level. Its beauty is no longer lost on me. I don’t take the time I spend there for granted like I did when I was younger. 

Age and distance allow you to see your past clearer. I don’t care about the things that used to bother me. I no longer have the time or energy to focus on things over which I have no control. I have the freedom to experience a place for what it is. I left my baggage in the past because all that matters—and all I have—is here and now. 

My challenge for you is to revisit your past, physically or metaphysically, to discover what you missed. I was surprised by how much I had missed but I’m grateful I didn’t waste any more time rediscovering what a great place my hometown is.

As always, thank you for your attention.