21 Things .01

I'm back!

I don't usually do much for my birthday but the other day as I was thinking about turning 21 at the end of the month I thought, why not record a handful of my experiences and musings as an advent for the year ahead? 21 snapshots to share!
Here goes... :)

Upon the Threshold

Back in December I was completing my first semester of college and experiencing an odd combination of anticipation and dread. Dread because - as one of my profs pronounced it -"the great and glorious" week of exams had arrived (it really wasn't that dreadful, although I wouldn't call it "glorious" either!). Anticipation because I was only a few days away from my Christmas break which meant returning to the dear ol' Island and and my family.

Time is such a curious thing. 
During that week it languished in slow motion, oblivious to my silent requests to hurry up, and yet at the same time it rushed by in a whirlwind of studying, goodbyes, and events. Time isn't consistent but at least its reliable and eventually I found myself writing the last page of my last exam (Intro to English Lit), trying not to let my mind wander to my dad waiting patiently in the car outside or the ferry we needed to catch.

At the bottom of the page there was a bonus question; an invitation to write a haiku about my present thoughts or emotions.  It only took me a moment and I certainly felt the little poem more than I thought it...

In the crisp, cold air
I stand upon the threshold
Of the warmth of home.

Home. A haven. A place to recuperate. A place of solace where I know I'll be listened to and where I'm free to express myself.

What struck me that week on the cusp of the holiday season was how my happy emotions in regards to returning home were often contrasted by the mixed ones of many of my fellow classmates. Not everyone can associate home with warmth and my heart aches for those who return home with such uncertainty.

The older I get the more aware I am of the gift that my family is to me. We're not perfect but I'm thankful beyond measure for my parents and sister who have seen me at my best and worst and continue to love, support, comfort, and refine me.