This week’s installment in The Asburian Difference will focus on a topic that will hit home for a lot of you, heh heh, get it? I’ll be here all week. Anyways, it’s about the concept of home. Believe it or not, Merriam-Webster defines it as “the place where one lives.” Go figure. That being said, the term “home” insinuates a familiarity with one’s surroundings; where one can find a sense of comfort. I mean, you all know the English proverb “home is where the heart is,” am I right? The real question, however, is this: what constitutes home for an individual? This means a number of different things to different people.
Home could be where you grew up and where your family and childhood chums are, or it could be with the friends you made at your college institution, especially those whom you have formed a “squad” or “crew” with. The purpose of this article is to examine these choices a little deeper and, using examples from my own experiences, see what we can find.
Our first home is one I’m pretty sure most, if not all, of us will always remember. I, for instance, have moved twice in my lifetime (three if you count the move to Asbury) and I can still recite my very first address perfectly. I feel as though we, especially those born in that period of perpetual bliss I like to refer to as “the 90s,” love the word “nostalgia” and everything that goes with that sort of thing. Reminiscing on old times and old adventures back in the good ol’ days always puts a smile on my face just as much as it does anyone else.
I remember so much about my first home, such as chasing my older sister around with my friends chanting “Machu Picchu” or playing with our toy Power Ranger action figures in our backyard. A part of us will always associate with that portion of our lives; it is a part of us after all. My only warning with that mentality is to not become a slave to your memories of old days long gone. While you should learn from your past, you should use it to build on who you have become today and not dwell in that forever cascading river of memories.
College students are on a unique journey during this part of their lives. Finally free from the at times mundane and routine-based realm of grade school and life with the family, they are now in a situation where independence and a new sense of responsibility are created. Temporarily leaving your own family behind sans holidays and other special occasions, you come into an entirely new community of people. Naturally you adopt or are adopted into a new “family,” so to speak and forge new bonds of friendship that are stronger than steel. These new close friends are the “squad,” your “ride-or-dies,” your “people-you-write-open-letters-to-on-journalism-blogs.” You worship God together, you create a name deriving from the first two letters of your middle names, you help and lift each other up in times of trouble, you become a close-knit family and your college campus becomes your new home and place of refuge. None of those aspects of your new life are bad by any means.
College is supposed to be one of those great periods of your life and it should be enjoyed. However, I would suggest preparing yourself for the eventual moment when you must part ways with all you have built up during your higher education years. Your life will change and some of those friendships may never be the same. At risk of sounding negative and, for lack of better phrases a “Debbie Downer” this period of your life is only temporary.
That being said, where is home for you? The answer will be different for everyone and I believe the concept will change as you progress through the different stages of your life. Much like the proverb says, “home is where the heart is” so be careful what you put your heart into.
