There is a weird, anxious feeling one gets when he returns home for the first time after moving far away. I remember waiting at the curbside pick up at the airport for my dad to pick me up. I have not seen him or anyone else in my family for about two and a half months, and for some reason I was a little nervous. I wondered if my home was just the way I left it. Or perhaps I have changed and would not perceive things the same way I have for the last eighteen years of my life.
About ten minutes of waiting and I see my dad’s car pull up to the curb. He looked different since he dropped me off at school a couple months ago. He lost some weight and had a new haircut, but about 5 minutes in to the ride I felt like we picked up right where we left off. We did not even feel the need to make any small talk. We just listened to the radio for the journey home. Although I was again completely comfortable with my dad, I was still anxious about going home and seeing everyone else. Would my dogs remember me? How has everyone else changed?
We pulled in to the garage and went in the house. Upon entering I caught the scent of an amazing, familiar aroma in the oven. It was my mom’s homemade Chex-Mix, or “Snicker Snacks” as she calls them. She only makes them on special occasions, mainly holidays or when the family is back together again which is only a few times out of the year. Immediately my small anxiety left me, as I took in that amazing smell of roasted nuts and Worcestershire soaked Chex. It consisted of simply chex, peanuts, pretzels, and Worcestershire, with a few secret spices. It was a smell I always associated with home and my mom. Later that night, when all my brothers got home, my mom put a giant bowl of her Chex Mix out and we sipped some beers and took turns telling everybody what we have been up to the passed few months. It was almost like we never left.
My mom’s Chex Mix is something I am very proud of, and something I will always cherish. Whenever she makes it, it is not too long before the entire batch is gone, and somebody is dabbing there fingers in the bowl, trying to eat the salty crumbs left behind. I know whenever I return home from an extended time away, I can count on her to have a fresh batch of “Snicker Snacks” in the oven to welcome me back. To me it is like she is saying, “Although you are almost out of the nest, you will always be a part of the flock, and here is a treat to remind you of that.” I do not believe I will ever be anxious about returning home again, especially when I have home made Chex Mix to look forward to.
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