As the time for a new school year comes around, I feel it necessary to reflect on leaving for my home in Maine and saying goodbye to my hometown in New Hampshire. As an out-of-stater, it’s always hard to say goodbye to your parents. To kiss them on the cheek, and tell them you’ll see them at Thanksgiving because it’s the first time you’ll really be able to see them. I do get homesick pretty easily, even with it being my senior year. It's not my first rodeo, but I still feel my heartstrings pulling to call my mum and tell her about my day – or even chat excitedly about my clean room .
With parents like mine, loving in the best of ways, they’re more than likely to not be able to let you go without one last hug or a quick question of whether you've done the dishes or not before you leave. Whatever it may be, pulling out of that driveway and waving goodbye as you start your journey to your second home is a hard pill to swallow. As I drove back to school, I thought a lot about the summer that was in my rear view mirror, fading away as a memory as I drive down the highway toward Maine.
My family and I are incredibly close and we spent a lot of time during the summer on our boat. The thing I reflect on most however, tends to come from the hot summer night of the fourth of July, out on the water with a few family friends as we pulled up near the Pavilion where Keith Urban was playing; the sounds of Cop Car blasting through the air and the red white and blue fireworks in the distance; a perfect summer’s night.
My friends at home are mostly from my job but we hang out with together during the weeks I’m home. We’ve always been able to make each other laugh, especially in the late hours of work after no one’s been in for a while and we just find ways to entertain ourselves until the time to close arrives.
Most of all, during my time away from home, I think I miss the beauty of the state and all of its key points in my life the most. There’s a wonderful lake by my house that I drove to on my last day home, I walked down the path to where it opens up to a set of rocks and open water across the lake. New Hampshire’s such a beautiful state, I think sometimes those moments are forgotten about in the towns that surround my area.
Home will always be home, simply waiting for me to arrive when I get back from schooling. It’s a different way of life there. Home can be home wherever you place it, even if it’s not your hometown. For me? Home has always been where my family is and where I can be happy without worries or without the fear of the future. It’s a place to feel secure and at peace with yourself in your most relaxed moments.
