"In My Opinion . . ."
Aug. 21, 1999
My family is in a state of homecoming this weekend. My husband and I are home from a scenic trip up Canada's Sunshine Coast, my son returns after 2 weeks as a camp counselor, and as I write, odd pieces of furniture and household goods are stacking up in the house. My daughter is coming home.
Well, not exactly. Her STUFF is coming home from the university, but not my daughter. While we cram extra chairs, tables, and a bed into our house, she is preparing to leave for a semester on the east coast at an Ivy League university. After one brief winter quarter back here at the UW, my daughter will then head off for a special program in Rome for the spring quarter. Her stuff must come home to us so she'll be able to set up another apartment when she returns to finish at the University of Washington next year.
Come to think of it, my son isn't really coming home yet either. Oh, I'll pick him up Sunday night along with two week's worth of dirty laundry, but last I heard he was planning on shipping out with friends for a camping trip somewhere, and then he'll go surfing with another friend off the Oregon coast. I doubt that I'll be seeing him until September.
In truth, even my husband's homecoming is shortlived. He's off to do the 400 mile, one week "Ride Around Washington" (R.A.W!), a bicycle trip which includes going over 5 mountain passes. He won't be home until it's time to put our daughter on a plane to New York.
As I sullenly look forward to going back to work next week, the rest of my family will be anywhere but home. I'll be coming home every night to an empty house, exhausted from the worst commuter traffic in the nation and unable to complain to anyone about it. The only soul celebrating my homecoming will be my loyal old cat, Ming. He will welcome me each night with whining and demands for attention. Home, sweet home.
