Being in college can be confusing when it comes to making a place for yourself. You're not quite sure whether school is home or home is home. Everything is changing, and it's a confusing time. Unfortunately, as we grow up, our perspective of home changes. There are three phases: back then, now and when we grow up.
1. Then
When you were young, home was the place where your parents were, where the awesome toys were and where you slept at night (unless you were at an awesome sleepover). You loved heading home from a friend's house because you knew that your mom or dad was going to tuck you in at night. Home represented safety and love.
2. Now
When you're in college, home is somewhere that you go. School can become your home away from home, but nothing beats sitting in your living room, sleeping in your own bed, being away from the stress and eating a wonderful meal. You go home on the weekend, but this is where things start to change. You catch yourself one day saying, "I'm headed home," but you're just going back to campus after a night out. This isn't a bad thing. Part of growing up is making a home for yourself.
Right now, for me, home has become my dorm room. Of course, there are times when I want to see my mom and dad, but when I say that I'm going home, I mean that I'm headed back to campus. I'm in the transition phase. It's not a bad place to be.
3. When
Eventually, home becomes your own. You're no longer living with your parents, and the world is now a big, bad, new, scary place, until you plant your feet on the ground. Now, don't get me wrong -- sometimes you're going to go to your childhood home, but it's not going to be the same. Your home becomes the place where you always are. That may come when you're out of college, on your own, married or with a roommate. But you can always count on home being around you. Home eventually becomes you, the people around you and a safe place.
No matter where you are or who you are, you have a home. It's a place that you have made for yourself. It's the place where all of your friends are. It's the place that has the coolest food. It's the place where you spend the most time. It's the place that you call home, no matter where that may be. Don't be afraid of the change. It's all in time, and it's all good.
