Living in Spring Hill for the last 10 years has given me a unique perspective on what gives this town its charm and makes it feel like home. At first glance, the lack of large-scale, chain-type attractions can give the impression of a boring town with not much to do. However, I think this is a perfect example of not judging a book by its cover.
Each year I am here I gain more and more knowledge of the places in Spring Hill. Since I live slightly out of town and didn’t attend a district school for elementary and middle school, I didn’t have the same experiences that many younger kids in Spring Hill had such as riding bikes to Pops, hanging out at one of the parks, living in the same neighborhood as school friends, etc. Though it was a different experience for me, I wouldn’t have changed it for the world. I am now gradually learning about each of the gems of Spring Hill–hidden or not–and how together they make up the heartbeat of the town.
When visiting the vast selection of places, I have found that their role in community life is very downplayed. People tend to have more of a fixed mindset when it comes to enjoying their time in Spring Hill. Like I talked about at the beginning of this series, I think it is very easy for high school students to complain about Spring Hill and how it is “poor” or “there’s just nothing to do.” I understand that what students really mean is that there is nothing that seems fun for them to do; however, I strongly disagree with this statement. I think there are two main reasons why people feel like they can’t enjoy their time in Spring Hill. First, they don’t know what’s out there. There are so many places right in town that require minimal or no money or traveling, just an open mind, which brings me to the second reason.
I truly think that one’s attitude is the most important factor that determines if you enjoy something. At the risk of sounding cliche, I think “it’s only as fun as you make it.” This is an essential thing to remember for all residents of Spring Hill. For us high schoolers, this is a skill that Spring Hill will have taught us when it is time to move on into the real world. We probably won’t always have extra money, or a ton of time. Because of this, it is so important to be able to make the most of what you have and be able to have fun in any situation.
