We've all heard the old adage, "Home is where the heart is," and there have been few times when I've really felt the meaning behind the sentiment. It's been almost four years since I graduated from college. In the grand scheme of things, it's a mere blip on the screen, but it feels like a lifetime. While my priorities have definitely changed, and I'd like to think I've become ever-so-slightly more mature, one thing has remained exactly the same.
Every Thursday night in college, I knew something fun was going to happen. My best friends would come home after their classes ended and we'd get a jumpstart on our weekend celebrations. Countless memories were made and turned into stories that would later be retold with sporadic detail, occasionally accompanied with some rather unfortunate pictures. Nicknames with absurd and illogical origins were assigned, songs that would soon be labeled as 'retro' were belted out with unfounded passion. Any notions of fear of upcoming research papers or final exams were washed away and replaced with the feeling of knowing you were exactly where you were supposed to be.
Over the past four years, that feeling has faded from constant to periodic. The excitement of the unknown has been replaced with tension and anxiety. But when I'm fortunate enough to find myself in the company of the two women who made my college experience everything it could have been, that feeling returns and lingers, as if no time has passed at all. Sitting around a table, eating pizza, exchanging stories about our lives, it feels like nothing has changed. Hanging out with them after such a long absence is like slipping back underneath the covers after running outside on a cold Saturday morning to get the newspaper. The pillows are arranged perfectly, no matter which way you toss or turn, you find a comfortable spot. The sheets are still warm, easing you back into a peaceful rest. You are exactly where you're supposed to be.
All the concerns I have about my life and my career have faded away like a hazy fog on an early summer morning. I consider myself lucky that I've found not just one, but two people who have the ability to wash away any fear and give me the confidence to face whatever challenge lay in front of me. Their presence in my life is like finding that favorite sweater you thought you'd lost. Hours pass like minutes, and before I know it, we're saying goodbye, making plans for the next reunion. And while time between our get-togethers varies, usually longer than any of us would like, I know we will find the time. But no matter how long we've been away, and no matter how long it's been since we've seen each other, saying hello is like going home again. And I know I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be.
