It's my second year of college, and my first year away from home. I miss a lot of things. I expected myself to miss my parents, my pets, etc. but I there are a lot of little, almost insignificant things I miss a lot more than I should.

Like that white painted, wooden swing below my back balcony. In the summer, after a mid-day swim in the pool, I would sit upon that swing that gave me a great view of the backyard. Sometimes I would sit there for hours, and just daydream, staring up at the tall trees, and clouds.

It was my haven of peace. A place I could go to where it felt like the earth would sit still for a moment.

But now I live in an apartment near downtown, where there's always cars going by, people talking, moving, busy. There's always something going on- too much going on.

I also miss the way footsteps sounded throughout the house. I could always recognize who was coming down the stairs by the way they stepped. My mother, starting with her toes, and landing lightly on each step, while my father's land was a bit heavier, and each step at a slightly quicker pace. And I miss the ticking noise my dogs' feet made when she walked on the hardwood floor. They were sounds I was so used to, that it's weird to not hear them now.

I miss the echoing noise of a neighbor mowing the lawn, or the laughs of joy from the neighborhood kids playing outside. My neighborhood only has two streets, so I always knew pretty much everyone who lived there. Often, I could recognize voices, or even which dog was barking.

I miss the way the grass in my yard felt between my toes, and the calmness in the outside air. I loved being outside at home, and I hardly ever wore shoes.

I miss the way the sunlight would come through the windows, filling the house air with a warm yellow tint. Or at night, the hazy blue lined reflection of the everything inside upon the windows.

I miss the taste of my mother's cooking, and the soft country music she would play while doing so. I never had to worry about eating enough vegetables. She always included plenty.

I even miss watching tv late at night and accidentally falling asleep on the living room couch every now and then.

Most of all, I just miss how normal everything was.

Nothing about living amongst thousands of other twenty-something-year-olds is normal. No matter how long I'm here for.

But it's okay. Home for me is only two hours away, and I will be there again soon.