College was my idolized stage of life from the age of twelve onward. I knew "those would be my years". I looked forward to moving away, making new friends, getting to finally create my own life for myself not the one I was given by circumstance growing up. Freshman year of college I would tell everyone that college was everything I ever imagined and more. It felt so right. I was thriving. It was exactly where I was supposed to be. But as seasons fade so did those awestruck feelings. After getting the crave for change out of my system I realized everything I had left back home. They always tell you you don't realize what you have until it's gone and man let me tell you, they were completely right. It's not that I gave up some spectacular life back home, it wasn't life changing or anything, but what I tried to replace it with did not suffice.
I have learned to appreciate everything about 110% more than I ever did before moving away. I didn't realize how impactful the place I grew up was to me. How the plentiful opportunities shaped my interests and needs. How much the quality of conversation and the quality of friendships meant to me. I thought I knew before I left. I thought I knew so much. But really I was blind. I was the poster child for tunnel vision and I had absolutely no clue. I believed there was more out there. Not in a big world picture but in a relationships and sense of belonging.
