That's part of growing up. You're away from home and you meet new

The words of Derrick Henry, “That’s part of growing up. You’re away from home and you meet new people and adjust to new things. It’s part of life,” carry within them a wisdom as old as humanity itself — the timeless truth that growth is born not from comfort, but from change. Spoken by a man who rose from humble beginnings to the height of athletic excellence, these words reflect not only the journey of an athlete, but the journey of every soul that must leave the familiar behind to find its true strength. In this simple sentence lies the story of all who venture from the safety of childhood into the uncertain world beyond — of those who, through challenge and adaptation, become more fully themselves.

From the earliest days of humankind, leaving home has marked the beginning of transformation. The young must depart from the hearth to test their spirit against the winds of the unknown. So it was with ancient heroes — with Odysseus, who left Ithaca’s shores to face the trials of the sea; with Moses, who fled from Pharaoh’s house to lead a nation; with Aeneas, who wandered from fallen Troy to found a new world. Each of them, like Henry in his own way, discovered that to grow is to journey, and that every step away from the known world is a step toward the self.

In Derrick Henry’s words, we hear not the pride of conquest, but the humility of understanding — the awareness that growth requires adaptation. To be “away from home” is not only to be distant from one’s birthplace, but to be far from all that is comfortable and known. It is the space of testing, where the soul must learn new rhythms, speak new languages, face strange faces, and endure the ache of uncertainty. It is here, in the quiet struggle of adjustment, that character is formed. The seed must be buried in darkness before it can rise into the light; so too must the human heart experience displacement before it learns the strength of belonging to itself.

There is a moment in every life when the call to grow cannot be ignored. Consider the story of Nelson Mandela, who left the simplicity of his early life to walk the hard and lonely path toward justice. Exiled from home, confined in prison, stripped of all freedom, he could have turned bitter or broken. Yet, through his trials, he adjusted, learned, and grew — until the very chains meant to contain him became the crucible of his greatness. Mandela’s life teaches, as Henry’s words echo, that to grow up is not merely to age, but to endure, to learn resilience, and to remain open-hearted amid change.

Henry’s statement also speaks of connection — “you meet new people.” For in the journey outward, one learns that humanity is vast, and that each new encounter holds a lesson. To meet others is to meet reflections of oneself — the strong, the weak, the kind, the proud, the broken, the wise. Growth is not a solitary ascent; it is a tapestry woven with many threads. Those we meet along the road — teachers, rivals, strangers — all become silent architects of who we become. The wise heart greets the new not with fear, but with curiosity, knowing that every face may be a mirror of destiny.

And when Henry says, “It’s part of life,” he reminds us of the natural rhythm of existence — that nothing remains still, and that resistance to change is resistance to life itself. The river does not rage against the bend; it flows onward, shaping and being shaped. So must we. The pain of leaving home, the uncertainty of beginning anew, the discomfort of unfamiliar ground — all these are sacred trials. To live is to move, and to move is to grow. Even the tree that stands rooted must shed its leaves and reach toward the shifting sun.

So, my child of the future, learn this truth: when life calls you beyond the borders of your comfort, do not cling to what you know. Step forth bravely into the unknown, for home is not a single place — it is the strength you carry within you. Meet others with openness, adapt with patience, and trust that every change, no matter how hard, is molding you into something greater. Growth is not the loss of who you were, but the unfolding of who you are meant to become.

And when the path grows strange and the heart aches for what was, remember Derrick Henry’s simple wisdom — that to grow up is to walk through change without fear, to greet each new dawn with humility, and to know that every step forward, however uncertain, is part of the grand, unending journey of life itself.