I was that girl who’s life got perfect right as it was about to change forever.  I had the perfect friends, at the perfect school, the perfect family (well, as close as it comes), and the perfect boyfriend.  It would have all been great had I not come to this realization just a few months before I was heading off to college.  Although I had gotten into my number one school, number 23 on the list of top colleges, I didn’t want to go.  You see; I hate change.  I hate every part about it.  The moving on, the growing apart, the knowing that nothing could be as it once was.  It all just sounds so awful.  But for hating change, a lot of it seemed to happen in my life.

As I pulled out of my driveway that morning, I watched my three little brothers and best friend grow smaller and smaller in the rear view mirror.  I’d like to tell you that I didn’t cry, but I would be lying.  So here’s the truth, I cried.  Like.  A.  Baby.  Okay, not that badly, but still.  About 20 minutes in, I seemed to run out of tears.  The next five and a half hours to Winston-Salem, North Carolina seemed endless to say the least.  And instead of thinking about the “best four years of my life” awaiting me, all I could think about was what I had left behind.

I started to accumulate a long laundry list of all of the things I would miss about home.  I’m here to tell you though that all of those things that you will inevitably miss when you go to college; they are waiting for you when you get back home.

• Mom and Dad – Have no fear; they will call every day to annoy you.  It will seem as though you never left.
• Annoying little brothers – Thought they might grow up in the few months you’re gone?  Don’t be fooled by the extra inches, they’re just as annoying as ever when you finally make it home.
• Friends – I’m going to quote Dr. Seuss on this one, “Those who mind [the distance] don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.”  College is one of those defining moments in a friendship.  You see who sticks around, and you let the others fade into a distant memory.
• High School – I know I’m outnumbered in my belief that high school may well have been the best four years of my life, but for those of you who stand in agreement, don’t worry, you can always visit.  That is until they get sick of you.  (I think I have just about worn out my welcome at my high school, whoops?)
• Home – Whether home is a huge beachfront mansion, an apartment in the city, or a quaint house on the farm, “Home is where the heart is.”  As lucky as many of us are to live on such a beautiful campus, there is no comparison when thinking of home.  Home is as much of a state of mind as it is a physical place.  But don’t worry; it will be waiting for you when you get back.
• Your House – I recently saw The Giver and was struck by a certain line in the movie regarding the difference between a home and a dwelling, or house.  Although a home is much more than a house, college seems to make you miss both just the same.  Although I just LOVE my 11x12 foot room and shared bathroom at school, I can’t help but miss my room at home.  But that’s life.

You think I’m forgetting something, right?  What about that furry little ball of fluff you call your dog?  Well unfortunately 18 years of persistence and begging did not help me out.  I never did find a box with holes and faint barking coming out of it on Christmas or my birthday, Santa and my parents failed me on that one.

So as you head off to college in the next few days and weeks, remember these things.  It is okay to be sad.  It is okay to be scared.  It is okay to be homesick.  But don’t let those things ruin your time here.  You only get four years here, maybe more if you’re lucky.  Don’t waste them.