Hello hello hello! Welcome back to Zany Lady. Today I want to talk about my decision to move back in with my parents after graduation.
In the months leading up to graduation, I associated moving back home with failure. If I moved back home, it would ultimately mean that I couldn’t land a job and was out of options. In my head, moving back in with Mom and Dad was an insult to my independence and adulthood. So, as you might have guessed, I dreaded that option. I stressed myself out so much about having something new and exciting lined up the minute I graduated college, that it made me physically ill.
For the sake of my mental, emotional, and physical health, I had to make the decision to lay off the job hunting until I was finished with college. That decision, although smart on my behalf, meant that when June 1st came around, I would be moving back to Maryland, into my childhood room.
Graduation weekend came and went, and before I knew it, I was driving my fully packed Jetta, VW back to Maryland, complete with all the stuff I had acquired over the last 4 years.
I hauled my belongings into my room, moved furniture around, bought a couple pieces to make the space appear fresh and not reek of my adolescence. The days home were slow, which I think I needed more than I knew at the time. I spent my days organizing my new room, cooking with my mom, and taking my dog for walks around the neighborhood.
It was simple and pleasant and peaceful. It was everything I needed.
There is something special about spending time with your parents as an adult. I think for the first time, I came back as an independent, self-sufficient woman, and it really showed. There are no longer petty arguments. There are no longer curfews or rules or the feeling of overwhelming expectations. It’s just me, living with 2 adult roommates (who happen to buy me groceries and cook dinner for me and make me cocktails and let me drink expensive wine.)
Y’all, it has been sooooo nice living at home. For one, I have two CLEAN roommates. Like, they both do their dishes everyday. How amazing is that?!
Aside from their much appreciated cleanliness, I have spent some quality time with them that has helped us all get on the same page. Being able to drink a cocktail with your parents on the back porch and talk about life actually does wonders for that relationship. I’ve cherished these moments of spending time with them and getting to know them, not as a whiny child, but as an independent adult.
The amount of joy and tranquility I’ve found in the midst of moving back in with my parents is astounding to me. Everything I imagined I’d feel and experience being back home has turned out to be completely the opposite, and praise Jesus that it has.
I’m thankful for this sweet time spent with my parents in my small, simple hometown. I know it’s temporary, and I know that in a little bit I will be moving to a different city, starting my new adult life. But until then, I’m thankful for the quiet, simple, quality time spent in my hometown.
I know a lot of recent grads are also making the decision to move back home, and I just want to encourage you. Moving back home post-graduation doesn’t by any means translate to failure. We are all figuring it out, and finding where we want to be, what we want to be doing, and the perfect fit for our talents, and sometimes, that takes time. Moving back home, for me, has meant a restful, rejuvenating time to re-evaluate myself and my career. I’ve also realized that some of the habits acquired while in college were not the best, and I’m learning how to best manage my time, body, and heart.
If you are finding yourself in a place where you thought (or even hoped) you wouldn’t be, take a moment and realize all of the sweet, life-giving things that are happening right there. Maybe you’re still living close to home and you want to move to a big city. Maybe you’ve been stuck at the same job for years and years and are longing for a new adventure. Whatever your story is, I believe that you are right where you need to be. Soak up all that you can in the place that you are, because odds are, you’re there for a reason. Change will come. That new job will come. But you can never get this time back, living the life you are right now. Might as well enjoy it.
Zany Lady 