For freshmen, college having been the first time you’ve lived out of the house for long periods of time, as well as upperclassmen whose hearts will always rest in their hometown, being far from home can leave one with a heartache. I know, you left originally feeling as though you were free from the rules, the nagging to clean your room, the weekend negotiating, the hundred questions asked by parents who forever tried to prepare you for the day you left. I, my friends, would undoubtedly, and sorrowfully fall under the category of someone who could not wait to break down the walls of the house and start an adventure elsewhere. The idea of finally being an adult and setting the groundwork for myself was an intriguing invitation. Little did I know, home is where the heart will always reside.
Sure, during the first couple weeks I felt invincible; no curfew, no lecturing, no nothing. And that’s exactly what it felt like weeks later; nothing without the sweet comfort of home and unconditional love regardless of the mistakes you may have regretfully made. It’s the times you’re laying in bed with a fever, need someone to pick you up off the ground and tell you everything really is going to be okay, someone to remind you how much you’re loved, cook you a homemade meal, and help you when you’re stuck on something— even if their answer isn’t always right. The sad reality that many tend to shove aside had finally set in. Of course, it’s unspoken because no one wants to stand face to face with something that can be so stomach-turning while the rest of the world is moving onward. It was times like such, that made me realize how much I appreciated home.
You only wish words could be retrieved thinking of when you said, “I can’t wait to leave.” Again, as I will vouch over and over, college has changed the way my mind works. Leaving for school does not only do wonders on exceeding the limitations of one’s education, but expanding the mind’s horizon. Suddenly, the “I can’t wait to leave” transforms into an “I can’t wait to come home.” Don’t blame yourself for feeling set back in the college experience; homesickness is normal and expected.
It’s the moments when you’re sitting in your room and decide to give home a call, and you hear those comforting voices that once taught you how to take your first steps across the familiar hardwood floor, rest in the depths of your mind. It’s all part of the transition, my friends. College not only granted me the grace of understanding how much I appreciated home and all those who awaited there for me, but it granted me a more mature perspective. To be able to look back at my past and oversee all that people have done for me. Thank you for making me who I am today. So, homebodies, you’re not alone. It happens to each and every one of us.
For all my loved ones at home, this one goes to you guys.