After 18 years, I am finally on my own,

After 18 years, I am thrusted into the world of being an adult.

My mother has taught me how to cook,

My father has taught me how to do laundry.

I have learned the skills I need to succeed,

I have learned the skills to not let me fail.

But none of that could prepare me for being away from home.

Home is the smell of my mother’s cooking on a late November night,

Home is the sound of the television playing my father’s favorite shows or movies.

It’s the sound of my dogs barking that could be heard from blocks away,

It’s the stillness of the night after all is said and done.

Do not mistake me, for being independent is an amazing feeling.

But nothing will compare to that of the feeling of being at home.