As my college years have passed, I’ve recently noticed a trend in my lifestyle. Rather than looking forward to spending every weekend going to fraternity parties or having wine nights with my friends, I’ve spent time planning for trips to my home, which is a four-hour car ride away. As I get closer to taking on the real world, outside of college life I’ve realized what’s important to me, and that’s family.
I would never have been able to go to college if it hadn’t been for my incredible parents, my mother especially, who always cheered me on and believed in me, even during times in high school when I didn’t believe in myself so much. It’s amazing how many of us take our parents and all that they do for us for granted. Recently, I’ve realized just how much both of my parents have done for me, and how they’ve helped shape me into the person I am today.
My freshmen year of college, I only came home on long breaks. Basically when everyone else on campus left to go home, my parents would pick me up and I would go home, too. My sophomore year of college, I had an apartment and my car in Gainesville, so I had the opportunity to go home whenever I wanted to. Yet I didn’t decide to do that, either. Once again, I only went home on long breaks, although I would choose to leave to go home for those breaks a few days earlier than my friends would.
The first semester of my junior year of college is when things changed. Suddenly, I realized I’d rather go home and spend time with my loved ones than go out every single night of every single weekend with my friends. I realized that time was winding down in my college career, and I was halfway done with my college experience. I left more often to make the drive home to spend time with my family, and even left a week earlier than my friends to go home for winter break.
I am now in my last year in college and will be graduating this December. Now more than ever I’ve realized that college has flown by. I’m planning on moving to New York City in December once I graduate, and then I’ll be very far away from my family. It won’t be as easy to go home, as I’ll have to book a flight months in advance rather than decide at the last minute to jump in my car and head home for the weekend to see my family.
I am so grateful that I’ve realized all of this before I’ve already moved away. I’m so glad that I have this last year to head home and spend time with my family whenever I want. I am so appreciative of everything they have done for me, and I love seeing them whenever I have the chance to. I’m heading home this weekend to spend time with my parents and, of course, my two puppies. I know that I’ll miss these visits once I’ve moved further away, but for now I am going to appreciate and take advantage of all the time I have.
Your home shapes the frame of your life. How I’ve grown up has helped to shape my values, beliefs and the woman I am today. Life is similar to a giant puzzle. Where you grow up is the outer edges of that puzzle, and each day is filling in a tiny piece of the frame of your life. But when you actually go out on your own is when you decide what the picture within that frame will be. You get to choose how and where you want to go and how you want your life to be seen by others, your family and even yourself.
I love my family and I love being able to see them when I need a mini vacation from the busy college life. If you haven’t been home in a while, schedule a visit home to see the ones that you love. You’ll be grateful you did.
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