Going away to college is the best thing that will ever happen to you. You have waited 18 years to get away from the four walls that have seen you grow out of diapers into heartbreaks. Your parents tell you that you will miss it, but you eagerly await move-in day and getting to start over. College is a never-ending adventure full of endless possibilities where you will learn new formulas, new life hacks, and how to handle conflict with your roommate. But above all, you will learn the joy in coming home.
So... what is it like? How do you explain this feeling of belonging that took 18 years to find? It's a lot like this: piles of laundry, lots of catching up to do, dog cuddles, and eating everything your parents have in the house. Here are some of the things we love about coming home.
1. The food
You never realize how incredible your parents' cooking is until you are stuck with Easy Mac and cafeteria food for every meal. Eating when you are not hungry, asking for three-course meals, using every kitchen utensil simply because you have a dishwasher to wash them in, and raiding the cabinets for snacks will all become a luxury. I've always heard that eating is a sort of communion, and now I understand why.
2. The stories
Coming home to people you have not seen for months is very different than coming home to them every day. You have to pull out details from a story that happened three weeks ago, share all the good (emphasis on good) test grades you have made, and hear all the exciting things happening to the people around you.
3. The memories
I am not talking about the memories you make over the weekend, although these are just as good. I am talking about the memories you have shared over the course of so many years. Driving through the same streets remind you of the Friday nights you spent listening to loud music and drinking milkshakes with the people you once knew. These streets were conquered by teenage years, but they are not yours anymore. This is where you walked and found where to keep walking to, but now there is a whole new generation living some of the best years of their lives on the same empty streets.
4. The love
You always knew you parents loved you. From goodnight stories to late-night texts making sure you are safe, we have been reminded since birth that we have these people that are always on our side. When you come home from college, love is shown in a completely different way. Your mom gives you random hugs and your dad asks more questions than you prefer to answer, but in between it all, you feel the home you grew up in shaping you into who you are meant to become. The tacky art on the walls fills you up with so much joy, and you realize you can recite the cheesy sayings by heart, and you will secretly begin to like them.
5. The final understanding of what home really means
Everyone always said, "Home is where the heart is," and it turns out this is true. Being away at school, you will find a new family and feel like you belong, but there is nothing that can compare to being back in the house that raised you. Sitting around the table and saying the blessing before diving into a home-cooked meal is so much more than words. Hand-in-hand and off-tune voices -- home is found in being together.
Once you have been away from home, going back is a whole new experience.
