--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And that was my homecoming. It was fine…" description: "\"And that was my homecoming. It was fine, I guess. Getting back feels like your first breath after nearly drowning. Even if it hurts, it's good.\" — Phil..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a9/phil-klay-22216_breaths_and-that-was-my-homecoming-it-was-fine-i_2396549.jpg" --- # And that was my homecoming. It was fine, I guess. Getting… ![“And that was my homecoming. It was fine, I guess. Getting back feels like your first breath after nearly drowning. Even if it hurts, it's good.” quote by Phil Klay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a9/phil-klay-22216_breaths_and-that-was-my-homecoming-it-was-fine-i_2396549.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a9/phil-klay-22216_breaths_and-that-was-my-homecoming-it-was-fine-i_2396549.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a9/phil-klay-22216_breaths_and-that-was-my-homecoming-it-was-fine-i_2396549.jpg) > “And that was my homecoming. It was fine, I guess. Getting back feels like your first breath after nearly drowning. Even if it hurts, it's good.” [Phil Klay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-klay/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Returning home after trauma feels like a rebirth, painful yet healing. **In simple terms:** Homecoming feels like a fresh start after struggle. Key Takeaway Embrace the discomfort of healing. Themes recovery identity resilience Mood reflective hopeful Type narrative inspirational When to use this quote - adjusting after deployment - returning from illness - starting new jobs - overcoming grief Key Concepts post‑traumatic growth rebirth Questions to Reflect On - What does “first breath” symbolize for you? - How can you support others in their recovery? A Different Perspective Healing can be slow and may trigger setbacks. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Breaths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breaths/) [Drowning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drowning/) [Drowning Hurts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drowning-hurts-5987716/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [Fine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fine/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Homecoming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/homecoming/) [Homecoming Fine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/homecoming-fine-5987717/) [Hurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hurt/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [It hurts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/it-hurts/) [Like you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-you/) [Nearly Drowning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nearly-drowning-2984379/) ## Related quotes > [“Every strong swimmer has a story about nearly drowning.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-echols/every-strong-swimmer-has-a-story-about-nearly-drowning/) [Jennifer Echols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-echols/) > [“It seemed her whole life had been a series of waves, that everything and everyone she'd ever known had come at her with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-lacey/it-seemed-her-whole-life-had-been-a-series-of-waves-that-everything/) [Catherine Lacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-lacey/) > [Poor gosling. It hurts to be lost. And worse to be home with no kind of homecoming...I'll be lucky if I can do as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/poor-gosling-it-hurts-to-be-lost-and-worse-to-be-home-with-no-kind-of/) [Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/) > [“For a moment, there was silnece, and then at Brooke's nod, the rest of the Squad, minus me, chimed in. "Yes, sir." I said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lynn-barnes/for-a-moment-there-was-silnece-and-then-at-brooke-s-nod-the-rest-of/) [Jennifer Lynn Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lynn-barnes/) > [Coming back to Israel is a homecoming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-simmons/coming-back-to-israel-is-a-homecoming/) [Gene Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-simmons/) > [I imagine the ones we’ve lost as ghosts who prowl about the edges of the light, waiting for us to join them. 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Ours was simply, 'Batman.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikey-day/usually-homecoming-themes-are-like-a-night-under-the-stars-or-an/) [Mikey Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikey-day/) > [I'm a nerd. Total geek. I never went to homecoming or prom or anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-hayes/i-m-a-nerd-total-geek-i-never-went-to-homecoming-or-prom-or-anything/) [Hunter Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-hayes/) > [“Ne ispada li, onda, da je egzistencijalni umor rezultat premalog, a ne prevelikog angažovanja? 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Guys like it funny, with lots of gore and a grin on your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-klay/there-are-two-ways-to-tell-the-story-funny-or-sad-guys-like-it-funny/) [Phil Klay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-klay/) > [“And glad as I was to be in the States, and even though I hated the past seven months and the only thing that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-klay/and-glad-as-i-was-to-be-in-the-states-and-even-though-i-hated-the/) [Phil Klay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-klay/) > [“Chaplain Vega’s a tall Mexican guy with a mustache that looks like it’s about to jump off his face and fuck the first rodent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-klay/chaplain-vega-s-a-tall-mexican-guy-with-a-mustache-that-looks-like-it/) [Phil Klay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-klay/) > [It's not so much the question that offends me; it's that the people asking it don't seem to respect the moral seriousness of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-klay/it-s-not-so-much-the-question-that-offends-me-it-s-that-the-people/) [Phil Klay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-klay/) > [Writing fiction means putting a lot of what you believe about the world at risk, because you have to follow your characters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-klay/writing-fiction-means-putting-a-lot-of-what-you-believe-about-the/) [Phil Klay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-klay/) > [“In 2008, around the time I got there, the 82nd Air- borne was building greenhouses near Tikrit. It was a brave new world, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-klay/in-2008-around-the-time-i-got-there-the-82nd-air-borne-was-building/) [Phil Klay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-klay/) > [The part of the strangeness of coming back from the war is the way we talk about it. We try to have a discussion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-klay/the-part-of-the-strangeness-of-coming-back-from-the-war-is-the-way-we/) [Phil Klay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-klay/) > [“We shot dogs. Not by accident. We did it on purpose, and we called it Operation Scooby. 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