Granted, I don't live that far away. About 4 1/2 hours. But that's still enough of a haul to wear you down after driving it straight. I took this Thursday-Monday morning off from my life up in Saint Paul to come back home to Small-Town Wisconsin. The last time I came home this really hit me hard by the end of the trip, but I'm starting to recognize it this time, too: THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH HOURS IN THE DAY TO SATISFY EVERYONE WHEN YOU COME HOME.
Going home seems to be broken down into six different sections of 'wants' or 'time users.' And there are never, never, NEVER enough hours in the day for everything. Here are the four sections:
Friends from Home: During the school year this is easier, because many friends are off at college and don't come home at the same time as you. In the summer, however, this includes everyone from your High School years that are home for the summer, which practically triples the time-commitment. Here is what I would like to do with my friends from home this weekend:
-Go golfing and bowling with the guys.
-Say hi and have a bite to eat with three different girl friends before we all head off.
-Go shopping with a friend I haven't seen for a really long time.
These are the friends who live about 45 minutes-2 hours away, and when they're home, they'd love it if you came to see them! These are generally people you would love to dedicate a large chunk of time to, but when you do so, you let multiple people from the other groups of Time Users down. I have 2 of these I'd like to stop and say 'Hi' to:
-I'd like to see my old roomie jump out of a plane this Saturday.
-I like to visit my bestest friend who lives in Madison on Sunday.
Extended Family (And Family friends) ((This may include parents for some)). I'd like to dub this group (as nicely as I can put it), the "guilt trippers." The special thing about this group of people is that you don't really want to take the time to go see these people, but you somehow (either externally or subconsciously) feel guilt-tripped into making a special visit to see them. A lot of the time this is parents saying, "On your way to the party, why don't you stop by and say 'hi' to so-in-so. He's known you since you were a baby and probably wants to know what's going on in your life." This group can include family friends, friends of your parents, and grandparents who aren't especially exciting to see. For April this weekend, this will include:
-Grandparents
Family you live with. I soon realized that even though you come back home and live in the same house as these people, that doesn't necessarily mean you're spending time with them. Most often, this group of people has planned some event that they don't tell you about until you get home, which disrupts about 3 of your other plans. But you go along with it because you love them and ((depending on who you are)) might actually like spending time with them. For me, I do. And I'm not just saying this because I know my parents read my blog, too. ;)
For me, this weekend, it includes:
-Chilling with my dad watching the Packer game
-Various shopping trips with my mom
The things you NEED TO DO. This is not a people group, but is just as important as one. This is most often the REASON you came home in the first place, that generally gets overlooked until the last minute. This can include paying bills, going to the dentist, and other errands.
For me, this weekend, this includes:
-Bringing my car in.
-Buying school things.
-PACKING ((gross.))
Relaxing. This last section almost never happens, and is overlooked by practically everyone except YOU. Sometimes, you will find yourself thinking, "Hey, wait a minute, I just took three days off of work...when do I get to just chill with a bag of Cheetos?" Well, my friends, as my studies conducted over the past two years show, this last section, ((however important to you)) is NOT IMPORTANT TO ANYONE ELSE. No one will understand why you just want to relax when you're home and there are 6 gillion people who want to see you.
So, feel loved, young one, because that's the only consolation you get from a crazy weekend at home.
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