Weekends are definitely the best part of the week. So many opportunities are afforded by that little break – lack of class, extra sleep and more hanging out, to name a few. Weekends also provide many of our best chances to visit home briefly. The almost three-day stay is an ingenious amount of time. It’s long enough to remove us from the stresses of school and college life, but not so long that we get tired of being home.
Many years ago (or three), when I was a freshman, I didn’t really appreciate going home. In fact, I think I only went home twice my first semester. In fact, I believe that I cried before Christmas break.
It wasn’t that I disliked home. I was just having more fun than I had ever had in my life. I felt like I would surely miss out on something significant were I to leave Starkville for an entire weekend.
Not until the spring semester of my sophomore year did I began to realize that home was a place I should appreciate. The first day of school after Spring Break, I was putting off homework (those of you who read last week’s article should not find this surprising). My roommate and I started attempting various gymnastic-type moves. Before I knew it, I was lying on the floor clutching a broken wrist.
My mother came the next day and took me home to Memphis, where my arm was treated. Because the break in my arm was so bad, I had to make many trips to Memphis that semester, perhaps more than I had made the previous three semesters of my college career.
At the time, having to go home constantly seemed like a hassle. However, I was able to spend a lot more time with my family than usual. I began to appreciate having these people around me all the time who loved me, regardless of whatever else might be going on.
Don’t get me wrong – college life is great. I absolutely thrive in Starkville, where I am surrounded by mostly people my own age. I enjoy making my own decisions, even about things as trivial as how to sort my laundry or what to buy at Wal-Mart. Independence is wonderful.
But I have discovered that going home is also wonderful. Some of you never doubted this. In fact, many people who come to college tend to get homesick and go home often. And I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. I was just quite opposite.
No longer, though. I have come to truly appreciate my family and my home. When everything here gets overwhelming – school, friends, commitments – home is the only respite. It’s the only place to go to truly get away from everything. Sometimes, you just need a couple of days to regroup and be loved on.
And sometimes it’s nice not to have to make your own decisions. After all, we’re not fully grown up yet. I like having responsibilities, but I like being released from them at times, too.
Every time I go home, I take a full laundry bag. I’m sure many of you do the same. It’s not necessarily that we shy away from the responsibility, but it’s nice to know that we can. I like taking care of things for myself, but I also like knowing that when I go home, I don’t have to.
Being at home is so different from being at school. Everything is so much more relaxed. My car, once parked in the driveway, rarely moves. I watch TV, something I hardly ever do while in Starkville. I don’t have to buy groceries, do laundry or pay bills. I don’t even have to clean anything, least of all my room!
I also enjoy spending the time with my family. No kidding. My sister and I usually have a day out together. I attend my brothers’ ball games. My parents and I watch movies. It’s just nice … and different from the daily craziness that is my college student life.
Although going away to school is a great thing and a major help in developing responsible habits, going home is also important. We need to maintain the closeness with our families while we can. We need that relief and unconditional love sometimes. And a trip to Target doesn’t hurt, either.