Leaving home for the first time can be one of the hardest things you do; but as you grow older, it becomes necessary. I have spent my first summer away from home trying to explore a call to ministry, and regardless of how much I love my job, leaving home for 12 weeks is hard. As someone who always like to do something, or hang out with someone, moving to a place where, I didn't know anyone and I had to try really hard to make friends, it has been one of the hardest things I've done, but honestly, it was worth it.
Yeah, you'll miss home. You'll probably spend some days wondering why in the world you took a job that was two hours away. You miss you friends. You feel left out when you hear about their plans. But you learn really new things about yourself. Maybe you'll learn that you only can stand so much time alone before you're craving company, and guess what: you'll teach yourself to make friends. It will feel forced and uncomfortable, but you'll learn. Over time, you learn what you need, and how to get it. It's like you learn to survive all over again.
The great thing about being out of your comfort zone is that you change. You adapt. You learn how to be a "real adult." You learn how to cook on your own. You learn self-care. I've been able to teach myself how to have a routine and become a normal working person in the morning. You can learn this too.
One of the hardest things about being away from home is the people. You learn how much you took for granted seeing those you love most. Whether that's your high school sweetheart boyfriend, who is in town for the summer, or your niece who you had grown used to seeing every day when you were at home. You miss the hugs, the laughs, and the times you just spent watching TV together. Again, why would you choose to be two hours away from your family? You come home and realize how great you had it when you didn't think about your future, or a career. You'll miss the times that you could just wake up in the morning and decide what you're doing for the next hour, living moment by moment.
But all in all, it'll be worth it. Maybe you've found that career you wanted, or if not, at least you tried. You'll probably meet people that you would have never met otherwise. Maybe you even meet people who change your perspective on things. You'll miss these people just like you'll miss home.
But, you'll survive. You'll take your little baby bird wings and flew out of the nest for the summer, just to gently glide home before heading back to school. It'll be one of the hardest, but most rewarding things you'll do with your summer, but all it takes is a little jump.
