Sure, we migrate and occupy multiple abodes, but which one is our real home? To me, a home is where you grow.
I was born and raised in Saginaw. I lived there for twenty years but it isn’t my home. At Ferris I’ve fallen in love, been heartbroken, conquered fears and have made lifelong relationships.
Ferris is my home because this is where my metamorphosis happened. I don’t just pay bills here. I have a strong network in a community of people that I care about and I know care about me in return.
Leaving Saginaw for my freshmen year at Ferris was definitely a new experience. But leaving Big Rapids in May 2016 will be the real leap from the nest for me. The hardest part wasn’t leaving my childhood home, it’ll be leaving this one.
Change can be scary. We all know this. Yet, change is also necessary. It’s because of these dynamic shifts from our status quo that we grow, change and transform. Leaving the nest can be a nerve-wrecking concept for so many, if not all. By leaving the nest we’re leaving a part of us behind.
This part of us is never forgotten nor is it meaningless. Instead, it’s a part of us that is left behind so that change and growth can settle in. Without leaving what is familiar, we also abandon what could be. Of course it can be intimidating, but challenges can help us mature and overcome obstacles.
We don’t get to choose where we are born, but we do get to decide where our home is. Home is where I feel at peace, can adventure, and have transformed over time. The familiar can feel secure, but our wildest imagination is right outside our fears of change.