Home is where the heart is. That and Grandma’s chocolate chip cookies.

It has been a wild couple of weeks. As noted in an email to you subscribers on Friday I was fortunate to spend 10 days back in the Dakota’s this past week. It was a trip packed with events, friends, and family time. Among other things, I took part in the following:

• Friend’s wedding in Sioux Falls

• Bean Bag Fundraiser in Sioux Falls

• Farmed in Summit

• Met with business owner in Sioux Falls

• Called a high school football game on the radio in Clear Lake

• Friend’s wedding in Fargo

It was definitely busy. On the flight up I was reading through some notes and reminders and thought to myself “this week is going to fly by.” It sure did. However, it was crucial for me to enjoy every minute. I hadn’t been back to the farm since early summer and hadn’t seen groups of friends in ages. Throughout the trip I made a point to thoroughly enjoy the time spent with friends and family. I vividly focused on the conversations that were held, the messages from each wedding, and enjoying the comradery with good people.

In many of my prior posts there have been several mentions of both change and circumstance. Throughout our journey in life we come across this in many different forms. Our priorities change. Our addresses change. The people around us change. We change. Circumstances develop from the changes we have and form the chapters of our life story.

During my journey change and circumstance has lately become more apparent then ever. Specifically over the past couple of years these two things have been a part of every turn. I’m unable to count all those changes, but it’s somewhere in between 487 and 3 million.

Life used to feel so simple. Go to school. Play basketball. Watch basketball. Read about basketball. Make sure Mom and Dad always had Count Chocula in the cabinet. Right?

Perhaps there’s more relatable examples. Simple things like family movie nights, laughing with your friends, and popping bubble wrap. Receiving an unexpected compliment, fresh bed sheets, or making the yellow light. There are these graceful things and little moments, among a million more, that happen all around us. They satisfy us yet we take them for granted and forget to enjoy the simplicity of life.

At least I did.

You see, one the defining moments in my life took place just a couple of years ago. I seemingly had everything a young adult could ask for. I was living in Fargo and surrounded by tremendous people. I was growing quickly in a career I succeeded at. I had access to family and friends any time I wanted. Although all these things are truly important to me, at the time it wasn’t enough. There was something missing. I wanted to expand my horizons.

What I decided next changed the course of my life in more ways than I could have ever imagined. The following 14 months included three addresses and enough peaks and valleys for a book series. I’ll touch on some of those moments in upcoming posts and discussions.

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Moving away from family and friends certainly had both its benefits and drawbacks. I was able to form new friendships, learn different careers and industries, and explore the elegance of the Rocky Mountains. Naturally, what I gained in new areas is what I lost in others. In a variety of ways I became more isolated. As things became harder and my plans weren’t going the way they were suppose to I began to do something that made it worse - I kept it all in.

As I’ve touched on in a few episodes of The Little Things, I kept things in because I didn’t want to show weakness. I didn’t want others to think I failed. I didn’t like the idea of friends and colleagues pointing fingers at me while muttering under their breath “I told you so.”

Why is this all important? Home.

When I went through those valleys the one thing that always brought me stillness was a visit home. No, my family or friends didn’t know anything that I was going through but they were there. Happy to see me, supporting me, and making the most of the time we had on those visits. As we grow older, move away, have kids, spend way too much time working, travel, whatever it may be one thing always remains constant - home.

That is why I am writing today. The trip home this past week was everything I envisioned it to be and needed. It was a reminder of just how refreshing a visit to your roots can be. It was a reminder that the important people in your life need to remain important no matter your circumstances. I took home, family, and friendships for granted for too long and am thankful that they are still accessible. They are accessible until they won’t be. Which isn’t as long as we think. This past week was a gentle reminder that no matter our changes, no matter our circumstances, no matter the people that enter and leave your life, there will always be a visit you can make to realign and remind - home.

To my family, friends, and numerous others I was able to spend time with over the trip home - THANK YOU. I don’t take you for granted anymore. I appreciate the support, the care, and the guidance. You mean more to me than words could possibly describe. The events and encounters may have seemed so simple to you, but they were complexly meaningful to me.

Continue to share your thoughts, feedback, and questions with me anytime at theitsjustjakeblog@gmail.com. There continues to be in depth conversations in there as well as some upcoming news that will be rolling out here shortly! Connect with me on Instagram at jakneeland, Twitter at jakneeland, and Facebook at Jake Kneeland. Don’t be shy!

Grandma, your chocolate chip cookies continue to defy the laws of baking. And physics.