Learning to Appreciate The Little Things - by Chloe

After one year of college I have learned to appreciate a few things about home that I never realized I would miss at school. Here is a list of some things I have a newfound appreciation for.

1.     Soft Toilet paper: It’s good stuff guys. Let’s be honest. I go to a great school, but their toilet paper is reminiscent of that tissue paper you fill gift bags with; Truly awful. Love it while you have it… and then pack some for college!

2.    Soft water: Some of you probably don’t even know what I mean by this. Well at my house we have a water softener that takes the hard minerals and other things out of the water. (This is the reason your hair feels softer when you shower at home than at a hotel.) Well colleges don’t have that, so every time I come home it is like a vacation of soft hair: Glorious. You’ll understand someday.

3.    Home cooked food: You knew this one was coming, but it really is worth noting. There IS a difference; maybe it’s mom’s love, who knows.

4.    Seeing Old people: No really. Every time I see a person over the age of about 60 at IWU it is either a Sunday and they are there for their Sunday brunch, or it is Grandparents Day. No exceptions. Sometimes it is nice to know that there are still people other than college students out there.

5.    Animals (other than squirrels):Every college campus has a million squirrels. I don’t know why, but that is a cold, hard, fact. All other animals, however, might as well be mythical creatures. IWU actually has a Puppy Day where they bring in puppies from local shelters for the students to play with because we never see dogs and the dogs get to run around. It is a win/win, but love on your pet while you can because you will miss them!

6.    Sleep: Everyone has heard the all-nighter stories, but you don’t know the truth of lack of sleep until you are up until 3 or 4 writing a paper or studying for a test. I came home for the summer and slept for 14 hours the first night! I guess I really was exhausted!

7.    My parents: I couldn’t leave this without saying that I missed my family a lot more than I thought I would. They are pretty spectacular people and after a year in college I have an even greater appreciation for them.

If you are a graduating senior, or a younger student in high school, keep these things in mind this summer and appreciate the little things. You might just realize that it is the little things that make a place feel like home.

 
Chloe McLaughlin is a college freshman at Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Indiana majoring in Church Music and Christian Worship. Originally from Frankfort, Indiana, Chloe was a participant in the Distinguished Young Women program and was selected as the Distinguished Young Woman of Indiana for 2012. Learn more about Chloe here!

Home - by Carly

Home

Six months ago I left my childhood home.  Those first few weeks I was a little homesick, but then things began to change.  After a semester and a half of college, I no longer became homesick; because I am already home here at school.  Now, the house on Ironstone Hill Road that I grew up in is still my home, but I have a new one as well.  For, I have learned at least one thing from my college education—home is where your heart is.  It is a total cliché, but it is the truth!  I have discovered that home is not a house or a college; home is a million and one different things!  Here are some conclusions about what I now understand home to be:

A) Home is where you feel safe.  If I’m looking for some safety, I travel to my safe haven on top of a horse.  Believe it or not, having 1,000 pounds of animal beneath you can be pretty calming.  Since I learned to walk, horses have been my home away from home.  

B) Home is wherever your bunch of crazies are (quote from Pinterest!).  We all have those crazy friends—those are your bunch of crazies!  As long as I have one of them by my side, I can conquer the world.  The same goes for my family.  They are a little quirky, but I love them dearly.  Without those crazies life would be dull.  I like to keep my friends and family close by because then I always feel at home.

C) Home is where your soul can smile.  I was raised in a lush valley in Pennsylvania, so rolling pastures, green forests, and starry nights put my soul at ease.  No matter where my life will take me, Pennsylvania will always hold a special place in my heart.

Home is a word that holds so much meaning for each individual.  Learning to make everywhere you travel a little bit like home, will make you beam from inside out.  Coming to college has taught me to roll out the welcome mat in each and every new place.  Because of this, I now look fearlessly into the future with high hopes of adventure because home will travel wherever I go. 

 Carly Henry is a college freshman at Elizabethtown College in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania majoring in biochemistry with a minor is business. Originally from York, Pennsylvania, Carly was a participant in the Distinguished Young Women program and was selected as the Distinguished Young Woman of Pennsylvania for 2012. Learn more about Carly here!