Coming home
Coming home
What does home mean when you no longer connect with the place you grew up? What does home mean when you’ve lived in more than a handful of cities and more than two handfuls of houses & apartments? What does home mean when you no longer have a physical address? What does home mean when you haven’t spent more than 2 weeks in one given place for the last 9 months?
It’s what it always means. It’s a feeling. It’s within.
It’s the sound of silence at sunrise. The dew softly glistening. The light peaking through hills & mountains. The stillness of the water on the lake. The gentle rustling of leaves from creatures beginning their day. The feeling of dawn that cannot be described in these sentences, but is purely... felt.
It’s the exhaustion from a long day. The first moment to sit, letting out a big sigh. The warmth of a meal. The calming of distractions & freeing of expectations. The slowing of time. The releasing of build up. The brief transition from doing to being… even if it’s just for one second.
It’s the support of a community. The appreciation of another. The sharing of a hug, a hand, a smile. The ease from acknowledgment. The excitement of conversation. The beauty of differences. The humility of existence beyond myself. The connection from touch, from word, from simply... sharing... space.
It’s the mystery of nature. The grandiose of mountains reminding me of my insignificance. The expanse of the ocean instilling our connectedness. The clouds’ impermanence. The snow, the hail, the rain, the mist, all the same, taking different forms. The river teaching me to flow. The land showing me to give without getting. Our Mother Earth loving… unconditionally… and not without lessons, if we so choose to listen.
It’s beyond place. It’s a feeling. It’s within. It’s home.
After 14 days of quarantine in Patagonia, spent at a sustainably minded community on the Earthship, I left to return “home.” Living out of my car & traveling the past 9 months, I asked myself “Where is home?” It was wherever I was. I went into solo quarantine in concrete suburbia. Expecting to struggle in my new environment, I was pleasantly surprised by the peace I’ve been able to access while I continue to reflect on this idea of home. Where is home? And the answer remains… It is wherever I am.