A double life, two different worlds, different state of minds -- whatever you want to call it, there is a distinct difference between home life and college life. With second semester approaching for many college students, it’s time to "phone home" to our universities.
Do you ever feel like you bounce from one world to the next when going back and forth between your home and your school?
It’s not an unnatural feeling. In fact, many people feel this way. For one, your living arrangements are different, your friends are different, and your lifestyle is different. As college students we are forced to go between these two worlds constantly: coming home for breaks or visits and returning back to school shortly after. It seems like there is always a constant change, which brings to many people a sense of insecurity.
One moment, you’re living it up at school with your "school" friends and then next your back home for winter break visiting with your "home" friends. And each of these visits is never permanent, because we are always going back to the other.
For me, the constant ups and downs of different friendships are often exhausting. Missing people from both sides of the spectrum and not knowing how to form that balance between the two takes its toll.
What’s even funnier is that these two worlds don’t often collide with each other and maybe they don’t even mesh. And so we are always stuck in this in-between state -- forcing our inner selves to adjust to this constant change, longing to have the best of both worlds.
Is that even achievable?
With work, I’d argue yes. I believe that these two distinct worlds are meant to come into our lives at very planned times. These two different entities are meant to highlight who we are and what we deserve. By that, I mean it highlights who and what is meant to be in your life after these back and forth transitions. You see, unfortunately, we don’t always exit life with the same people we entered it with. People come in and out of our lives for an assortment of reasons: to teach us about love, friendship, trust, and most importantly, about ourselves.
You see people's true colors come out when times get tough and stressful and uncertain, which is the exact feelings these college-to-home (and vice versa) transitions give us. You see who holds on tight and who let's go. Ultimately, it shapes your outlook on change for the better because, with each back-and-forth endeavor, we see who’s still there waiting for us. Let’s hope it is who and what we deserve.
