I returned from college the second week of May. By the third week, I was bored and filled with longing for my dorm room and college friends. By the middle of June, I was well into working two jobs, used to preparing all my food instead of going to the dining hall, and back into the swing of living with my family. Here I am now, in early August, so well accustomed to the comforts of home, that I can’t help but wonder… did I really ever dorm?

Truthfully, it feels like I never left. I have created a routine for my summer jobs and my evening activities, my room is back in the orderly chaos I maintained while in high school, my mom and sister whom I used to miss so much are now my best friends again, and the thought of homework is a distant unpleasant memory but doesn’t really mean anything to me at the moment.

How can it be that in the span of a few short weeks I have completely reverted back into the person I used to be? I lived on my own for NINE months this year, that’s a long time! When I first came back my family was running on a different schedule and we just didn’t match up. My sleeping hours were different, my food choices were foreign, my laundry was overflowing, and my lack of freedom caused a lot of friction and tension. I could have sworn that this was going to be the longest summer ever. Move in day for the Fall 2016 semester seemed like it was years away.

Now here I am, with move in day being a little over two weeks away and I can't believe my list of things I still want to do! These months have flown by, filled with new friendships, beach days, happy reunions, a lot of traveling, and two jobs that I have grown to love. I’m still filled with excitement at the thought of what a new semester will bring but I’m really disheartened at the thought of moving away from my family again. As soon as September rolls back around I’ll trade in my pets for my best friends at school, my local restaurants for our dining hall, and my lazy days filled with Netflix for long nights filled with papers. I always say that there are seasons in our lives and this fall semester will bring upon a new season for me. I’ve utilized my summer in every way I could imagine and I am so fulfilled from the time I have spent relaxing and with the ones I love.