At this time last year, I was hustling my way through traffic to make my morning commute to school. I did not mind the congested roadways and honking vehicles, nor did I mind the other 302,000 people I shared the city with. In fact, that is what had drawn me in in the first place.
Saint Paul, and respectively, the adjoining cities/suburbs was a beautiful place to call home. There is an enormous amount of culture, history, and diversity within the city limits that make this place irresistible. Of course, like any large city, Saint Paul has its problems, also, but that is for another day.
It felt liberating to live on my own in this new city. I was enrolled at a great private college maintaining a 3.9-grade point average while also exploring my blossoming independence. I was ecstatic. Nothing could have been better, right?
Despite having what seemed to be the perfect college experience, I still felt hollow. My family back home was trying not to exclude me from family activities, but there was no way I could be there for everything. Small things started to build up, from my uncle passing to my grandparents getting older, and I realized I didn’t want to miss out on life’s most precious gift: family. That clock on the wall, I quickly learned, is going to continue to tick, whether we pay attention or not. I loved the independence that came with living away from my family, but I knew that my family, especially my grandparents, was the most important part of my life.
I do not see moving back to La Crosse as a step backward. I am not in a rush to cross the finish line. I am going to enjoy my life with my family by my side. I believe that time is not linear. As a society, we always see “moving home” as a sign of failure, and that if we do not move on from our family we have not made anything of ourselves. That to me is a flaw in thinking. I will have plenty of time to be on my own in the future. Right now I am going to be thankful for every second I have with my family and find the little successes in that.