Home

So I am now about 4 days away from my return home to Columbus, OH. It kind of just hit me on this day off that in 4 days, I'll be back in Ohio, a state I've spent my entire life in and loved every second of it. From its crazy weather to die-hard Buckeye fans, its use of the word "pop" and not soda and terrible radio stations, I can't wait to get back to the 'ol Buckeye State.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not homesick. I have yet to spend a day here in Georgia crying about wanting to back home. I'm still thrilled with my decision to get away from the comforts of home and friends. It's been fun trying to "rough it" on my own". But of course, I still miss my family and friends. I've been fortunate to have my family and one of my best friends visit me. And I've been able to visit friends around here in the South, including the one that happened to move an hour away from me.

So I started thinking about this trip back. It's been a solid 5 months since I've even been in the state of Ohio, let alone my home in Columbus. It's also been 5 months since I've seen my sister and been 4 months since I've seen my parents. All of these are all-time records for me.

So for fun, I went on my ITunes and found 3 songs that have the word "Home" in it and see just how much they related to my experience.

First up was Bon Jovi's "Who Says You Can't Go Home". While the song talks more about someone who kind of ran away from home for a while and decides to come back, it still has some lines that relate to me. First off, "With every step I take, I know that I'm not alone. You take the home from the boy, not the boy from his home" is dead on. Yeah, I may not be in Ohio but trust me, home is still close to me. I've got OU and OSU near and dear and me and still read The Post and Columbus Dispatch everyday. Oh, and of course there's also "I went as far as I could trying to find a new face. There isn't one of these lines I would erase". Like I said, I'm glad I am away and don't doubt my decision. As they say, distance makes the heart grow fonder.

Next up was Kanye's "Homecoming", which has everything to do with Chicago but so what. Of course, the chorus of "Do you think about me now and then? Cause I'm coming home again" works. I would hope that being gone 5 months, someone has missed or thought about me. If not, then I got a lot of changing to do in my life. The other line that hit me was "Every interview I'm representing you, making you proud. Reach for the stars so if you fall, you land on a cloud." I hope that I'm representing Ohio well down here. Not just professionally but socially as well. I think the northern states, OSU and OU get a bad wrap down here. I'm trying to do my part to change that.

Finally, John Legend's "Coming Home". It's a great song that is really about someone in the armed forces coming back home from war. One line that related to me is "It may be long to get me there. It feels like I've been everywhere. But someday I'll be coming home". Yeah, it takes 10 hrs driving to get back to CBus and since I've been here, I've visited Columbia, Athens, Valdosta and Charlotte. But finally, I'm going back home. It's nice. Also, "I've learned from all of my mistakes. Learned from all I didn't say" just reminds how much I make sure I don't ever take my family and friends for granted during these four days.

It's just funny, as Kanye says in "Homecoming", 'I guess you never know what you've got till it's gone". Whether that be Court Street's amazing atmosphere or just the common sense system Ohio has for its high school football playoffs. Can't wait to get back on Buckeye/Bobcat soil. The countdown continues...