You can leave your hometown’s small thinking behind without leaving your people behind.

Outgrowing a set of assumptions is not the same as outgrowing the people who hold them. It is easy to bundle the two together, decide the whole place is behind you, and cut off relationships that had nothing to do with the ideas you were trying to leave. The ideas were the problem, not the family dinners.

Be specific about what you are actually rejecting. You can decline an opinion at the table and still be there for the meal. Keep the phone calls. Let the disagreement stay a disagreement rather than becoming an exit.