I tend to be a count-down-er. I count down to my birthday, to fun trips, to being able to see loved ones, to holidays, etc. It’s always been that way. Sometimes it’s unfortunate because I get the feeling I’m counting down my life in a way. Willing away my days here as a living being isn’t exactly a good way to go about everyday life, but when you’re trying to get through college it's kind of a necessity.
As you can imagine, I counted down the days until Thanksgiving break with vigor. I started in September, probably, and did a mental cheer each morning knowing I was just that much closer to getting to go home. I hadn’t been home since Labor Day which was kind of odd.
I even made a list of the things I was looking forward to the most:
- My dog
- Sleeping
- Eating
- Not doing anything
- Time to watch tv
- My dog
- And seeing my family, of course
As time crept by, my excitement increased. I found it hard to go an hour without thinking about being home. I had this little bubble of excitement/energy that grew bigger every day. I found myself day-dreaming about copious amounts of home-cooked food and sleeping in. I woke up one morning from a dream and could’ve sworn I could taste pancakes. My dad makes the best pancakes.
Anyway, of course my accounting professor would schedule an EXTREMELY IMPORTANT EXAM the day before Thanksgiving break began. Because, you know, everyone’s in the mood to spend 8 hours locked in their bedrooms studying accounting on a two-day school week while everyone else on planet earth is having fun and packing to go home.
I managed to get through the endless studying session and took my exam. The drive was torture because I just wanted to get home. Luckily, my driving companion made a cd so I was distracted slightly.
Home was magnificent! I pet my dog, slept a LOT, spent more time eating than sleeping probably, managed to do nothing a lot, watched tv a lot, pet my dog some more, and hung with the fam. I even got to experience gluttony (which I haven’t had the chance to since I am poor and my meals typically consist of cheese and crackers or bagels) because Thanksgiving surprisingly occurs during Thanksgiving break. I succeeded in stretching my stomach relentlessly and now that I’m back at school, I can’t seem to get full. But it’s ok! Well worth it.
I never knew how much I would appreciate being home when I first left for college. I was so ready to get out of there that I didn’t even take a second to be sad! Now that’s sad. Now I divulge in every second of spending time in my old stomping ground because as I get older, I don’t know how often I’ll be revisiting. Growing up is not fun at all! I would love to have my mom around to give me soothing backrubs when I’m about to pull my eyelashes out due to stress, to have my dad there to cook me all my favorite dishes, to have my sister near to talk to when I don’t feel like anyone else wants to listen, and to have my dog there to be a silent and loving companion when I’m feeling down. I guess I kind of miss my cat, too, but she’s fifteen pounds and has butt-clumps so I don’t really know how I would benefit from that. Maybe she could be another silent companion, less loving though.
Luckily, I get to go home again in the very near future! I can already taste the pancakes…
