I took a piece of home with me. 2017 was a year filled with change and unforeseen tremendous growth – I went to college! By no means was the transition pretty. I love my family more than anything and adore my home. I’m also not the best when it comes to trying new things, so moving away to college was a fact I tried to shove to the back of my head and forget about for as long as possible. When the time came close for me to move, I felt as though I couldn’t process what was happening. It was hard to grasp the fact that I had to leave this wonderful home of mine to live somewhere else. Instead of wallowing in my sadness, I decided to do all I could to make my living situation more homey and comfortable, and turn my dorm room into a fabulous home away from home. I took decor and furnishings from my room, printed photographs of my family members and closest friends, my sofa, my southwest area rug, and bought a couple of beautiful black-and-white calligraphy bible verse prints to take with me to college.
I was a teary-eyed mess when I finally said goodbye to my parents but got straight to work to take my mind off them leaving. I stretched my peach, paisley-patterned bed sheet over my mattress, dressed my pillows up with matching pillowcases, used pink-and-red-striped washi tape to put my photographs up on the wall beside my bed, covered my bed sheets with my big, reversible, pink and purple, fluffy “Girl Power” blanket I’ve had since forever, taped the calligraphy prints to the edge of my old-fashioned wooden table, and sat my stuffed Teddy and Rapunzel right on top of my bed. I climbed down from my top bunk and stared at my masterpiece for a while. I hadn’t noticed, but the tears stopped streaming down my cheeks. I felt better, much better. It took a couple of days, but my dorm room started to feel like home…so remember, college-bound folks, that though the transition of moving from home to school may be tough, there is hope! And sometimes it comes in the form of a “Girl Power” blanket and a couple of photographs.
It was a time of tremendous growth and I’m so happy that I was able to bring a bit of my furniture along to ease the tension of my mind in this time.…