“When Will I Return Home?”

When you go away from the place you know and love, when you have to leave behind family, friends and familiarity, one of the most common questions you get is “what time are you coming back?”

The answer to this question can often be hard to give. Perhaps the place you’re visiting is new, or the road ahead is unclear. You may have the best of intentions and all the tools for success, but sometimes your destination is far and wide, and no one knows exactly when you’ll be coming home.

But when that question arises, it isn’t simply a query into your timetable – it’s a request for hope, assurance, and faith in a return. You’re coming back, but the how and the when are uncertain. It’s hard not to think about all the possibilities that come with that unknown future, especially when it may involve moving forward in uncharted territory.

It’s okay to not have the answers to this question. It’s okay to acknowledge that uncertainty. Instead of worrying about the “what ifs”, look towards the “I can” of a hopeful future. We can go forth confidently, with the knowledge that home will still be here for us whenever the journey takes us there.

And when that time does come, what will it look like? How will it feel? Maybe it will be an easy transition, a slide back into the same environment that we once left. Or, maybe we will come home a bit changed – an improved version of ourselves, armed with the experiences that could only come from exploring and navigating unknown worlds.

No matter what it looks like, the return will be worth the wait. And when that time does come, we can look back at all of our travels, the miles and the smiles, with a feeling of comfort that our home will always be there to greet us with open arms.