Do you ever listen to Madonna’s “Ray of Light,” and get that tingly feeling because there isn’t a better song (maybe there is, IDK) that describes the feeling of coming home? Coming home is an unmatchable state and I think you only really know what it’s like when you’ve longed for it, when you’ve missed everything about it, when you get knots in your stomach just thinking about it: that return.
The first time I felt that way was when I was 4 years old. To make a long story short, my mother suffered a mental breakdown and was diagnosed with schizophrenia. She spent 3 months in the hospital and during that summer my brother and I lived with my grandma. My grandma, bless her, does not speak a lick of English and I certainly do not speak a lick of Spanish so it was a bizarre experience. I missed my mom and dad so dearly and I had no idea why I couldn’t see them. I remember at the end of that summer, my dad coming to pick my brother and I up and then him telling us there was a surprise in the bathroom. I instantly knew what it was: my mom. I remember seeing her and reaching my arms out to hug her and I knew I was finally home. The second time I can remember was coming home from studying abroad for four months. I didn’t expect to miss my family, friends or city so much. I listened to “Ray of Light” during the entire flight and felt like a zephyr in the sky, baby.
There are somethings you can only get at home.
1. The wi-fi automatically connects. No crazy passwords. No complications. A seamless connection with all of your devices. Alas, you are back baby.
2. Your favorite cafe. The one that does the thing exactly how you want the thing. Mmmmm. There isn’t an iced sugar-free vanilla chai almond milk latte like the one at The Bean.
3. FRIENDS. Your best friends, the kind you don’t have to put on heirs for. The kind where you don’t feel awkward rummaging through their refridgerator. Where you don’t even have to ask if you can spend the night. Where the silences aren’t awkward.
4. Family. There’s nothing like being at your parent’s house. It’s like your kid again in all the best and worst ways. Yes, mom, do my laundry. Ugh, dad, get out of my room. Even at their most grating, there’s nothing like having the people who unconditionally love you get on your nerves and bring you clean blankets.
5. Home cooked meals. Yuuuuuuuusssss. No more Easy Mac and and microwavable popcorn. A meal with vegetables and flavor. A meal without 5,000% of your daily sodium recommendation.
6. Your bedroom. The comfort of your bed. All of your familiar smells. Isn’t it weird how other people’s homes smell? Not bad but like other people’s homes. The smell of your own smell is so pleasant. All of your cute posters and dumb tchotchkes to remind you of your personal history. That stuffed animal you got from your high school boyfriend, that polaroid of you and your friends at the beach, the one Barbie doll you decided to keep. Those old familiar things.
7. Maybe, just maybe, if you’re lucky: you have puppy waiting for you. (Or cat.) Still, a puppy is better because they wag their little booties and jump up and down when they see you. A cat will meow in your direction and walk away, off but a doggy’s welcome is like no other.
The 7 Best Things About Coming Home
