Having moved halfway across the country when I was at the vulnerable age of 13, I’ve learned to appreciate my family more than ever. During this stressful time, my family was the only support system there for me. Yeah, I still had friends in Minnesota, but I could no longer bike over to their houses whenever I wanted or needed to. I was now 1,200+ miles away. I felt resentment towards my family. How could they expect me to leave my entire life behind and move? What about my feelings or opinions?
My family and I resided in a hotel for a month, waiting to move into our new house. During this time, I realized how important family really is. They are all you have in your loneliest, happiest, and most accomplishing moments. They’re there for it all, the good and the bad. I didn’t want to move, but they made the process easier. My anger started to disappear and I began to feel more at ease with things. I began to accept it, and knew this was not an intentional stab at my feelings. It was what was best for all of us, as a family.
I started to make friends when I began school and returned to the normal life I had: hanging out with my friends almost any chance I got. I had a couple friends that lived in my neighborhood, so after school I'd get off at their bus stops and hangout for a couple hours until dinner. This became a daily thing. I began to see my family only around dinner time, as we eat together at the table every night. I was just so excited to have friends again that I took my family for granted. I knew and assumed they would always be there for me, when instead I should of appreciated the fact that they would never stop loving me with all of their hearts.
It wasn't until I began looking for colleges, my senior year of high school, that I started to recognize my family's love again. Knowing that I would soon be away from them made my heart ache. At the end of the day, they are all I have. The thought of having to move again, but this time without them, scared me. I was only able to get through it the first time because they were entirely by my side the whole way.
I narrowed down my search to schools that were close enough to where I could still come home whenever I wanted. Rutgers is precisely 36.5 miles away and only a 45-minute drive. It all started to make sense. My worry disappeared and that's when I began to feel excitement for this next step in my life, even if it meant being without my family for weeks on end.
Loving and smothering your family is never something that you should feel embarrassed about. They're always there for you no matter what, and why would you want to take that for granted? I'm proud to be a homebody, knowing when to choose my family over my friends. Don't let a harsh experience make you realize that family is important. Appreciate them for the little things, the big things and everything in-between. It'll make life feel that much more whole.
