This summer, going into my senior year of college, I decided to spend at home. The last three years I spent the majority of my time at school. Every break I tried to stay as long as I could and spend my summer taking classes on campus. My parents convinced me that this summer I should come home and take a break for once. I wasn’t excited for this at the start because my school had become my new home, but now that my summer is coming to an end I don’t regret coming home one bit. I learned to appreciate a lot this summer and I recommend one more summer at home before moving into the real world.
- My family – I’m lucky that my parents come to see me cheer at the games during school a lot, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t realize how much I missed them. Spending my summer days with them gave me a chance to do the things we haven’t done in years together. It also gave me a chance to spend time with other family members that I hardly get to see. Family comes first, but living such a busy lifestyle in college we sometimes forget this. I was reminded of this again this summer at home, especially celebrating my cousin’s wedding with all of my family.
- My friends – Not only did I learn to appreciate my friends from home I didn’t realize how much I had been missing. I also learned to appreciate all the new friends I have been making while away at college. Getting to spend time with old friends made me realize how fast life moves and why you need to take it all in while you can. It also gave me the chance to see the love I still have from people four hours away at Butler. If I needed something or just someone to talk to I was only a text or call away from my friends at school and they showed me the same love as if I was right there on campus with them like always.
- Sleep – Man, was I sleep deprived! Three years of non-stop college had literally worn me out. So, even though I spent as much as my summer I could doing fun stuff with people I loved, I also spent time taking a nap by the pool and going to bed early. I was taking the importance of sleep for granted and was worn out. With a little more sleep, I started to feel more relaxed, happy and able to accomplish more everyday.
- My hometown - Sometimes I take my hometown for granted and say how all I ever want is to get out of there and do something with my life. Coming back home gave me the chance to see the positive things of my hometown. I got to spend time on the lake with friends and family and go into Chicago and hang out with my brother. I was so focused on leaving I never got to really appreciate what I already had around me.
- Myself – This past year I found myself not standing up for myself. I also found myself constantly hearing other people talk about how I should be living my life. I was never listening to myself. Sometimes you just have to go home to find your true self again. At first I told myself I didn’t need time to myself, but after spending my summer at home I realized that’s exactly what I needed.
Leaving this summer to go back to school is going to be hard. The town I couldn’t wait to get out of pulled me back in and made me realize this is what is truly important in life. I wasn’t appreciating the little things in life and I needed some time with the people I love in a place with all of my childhood memories to bring me back to reality.
