As the semester is winding down, I am becoming more and more excited to travel home. At this point, I am thinking more about what lies ahead and not what I am leaving behind. This mindset has proven to be both good and bad. There are so many new experiences and challenges to encounter even though I am merely traveling home. A page is turning, a new chapter is beginning, and I welcome all that is to come with open arms and wide-eyed wonder. I am almost free. However, I do not wish to minimize the importance of what I have been through, the memories I have made, what I have learned, and all those who have become so dear to me in this place we call "The Bubble."I have never been one to become so attached to the place in which I now reside, as it seems like so many other have. Perhaps it is because I never lived in a dorm or on campus, perhaps it is because I spent my weekends playing volleyball in Ohio and Kentucky rather than watching a movie with my "wing" and visitors during open house hours, or perhaps it is because I have never been romantically involved with any of the sadly outnumbered gentlemen at this university (emphasis on the word, as I do not wish to apply it to every male in attendance here). The final conclusion may be the greatest contributor to my distant position from attachment. My heart has never fully been here. I have never felt at home.
Yes, I have felt at peace, enjoyed much over the past two years, and I have formed friendships that I am most positive will last a lifetime even if the level of communication will slowly dwindle over the years to come. I do not lack value for the comfort or blessing of these things, nor do I desire to take them for granted. I love those who I have come to know as teammates, roommates, and good friends, and will miss them dearly. The idea of saying goodbye is something I have not yet fully embraced. My current stature is that of only yearning to be with my family and the ones I love who make living in beautiful West Michigan all the more welcoming and cozy. There is something about Michigan that cannot be duplicated anywhere else. When I drive, I feel a sense of contentment in traveling north. I know in my heart it is because the people who are very dear to me are either alongside of me, or awaiting my arrival.
