Away from the Nest - Home is Changing

I’ve been busy lately. It’s been weeks since I last watched anime. I’m sure I’ll get back into anime near-obsession mode again soon. But for now, I’m content with my current focuses. 

One of the interesting things about being away from the nest is packing. Instead of packing to leave home, I pack my bag to go home. My parents’ house is becoming a vacation spot, rather than the place I always am. It’s strange, but it feels like a natural transition - probably because it is.

Of course, there are a few things about it that rock my boat. For example, last time I went home, Mom mentioned that she’d like to paint my room. She’d already switched the bed from my queen to a double. I was okay with that, even if she moved the bed away from its corner in the process. But painting it? Nuh-uh. I informed her that if she painted it this early, I’d cry. Change is hard enough for me; let’s take it easy. I love the current color in my room. I even remember the exact name of it: Bonnie Lake. I’m not ready for it to change, even if I’m away more often than I’m home. It’s bad enough that Lil Sis has taken over my drawer in the bathroom. No need to take over my bedroom, too. Not yet.

Another thing I’ve noticed: my parents’ house is longer my only home. The fact that I just referred to it as “my parents’ house” shows it. Similarly, my aunt’s house is longer just her house; it’s my home, too. This can get confusing, since “home” means different places depending on the context. I think it makes Mom a little sad when I’m with her and I talk about “going home,” and I’m referring to my aunt’s house. My parents’ house will always be my home, and it will always be special. But it’s changing. It four years, God willing, I’ll live on my own in another city, and “home,” my parents’ house, will really be a place I only visit. It’s a gradual change, and a little bittersweet. And I’m more okay with it than I’d have thought two years ago. 

I’ll have another home in about a month: my dorm at college. I don’t know for sure that I got into my first choice of the dorms. But either way, I will soon have a new room to call home. This time, I won’t live with any of my family. Yet I’m ready for this particular change, more ready that I would have been just a year ago. 

So, home is changing, and will continue to change. It’s a little sad, but very exciting. 

Noble, my aunt's cat and my buddy.
I'll miss him when I leave.