Home is Here, There, and Everywhere

Yesterday, on the way to work, I found myself quietly wondering about the definition of 'home'. I was born in Texas, grew up in northern Michigan, lived about the last five years in Colorado, and now my husband and I live on the west coast of Florida. Instead of feeling homesick and sorry for myself, I really need to redefine what home means, and home has a rather flexible definition.

{ please bear with me, this is sort of a long one }

If you want a very simple definition of home, it would be the house where you live. However, home is not just a physical location or roof over your head. One quote about home that really seems to ring true for me reads "home is where the heart is". If you ask me, that quote alone is very simple and complex at the same time.

After thinking about the meaning of "home is where the heart is", some things really began to click for me. A very simple and literal definition of heart would be the organ in your chest that pumps blood and keeps things flowing. Now if you get more theoretical, your heart is who you are. It's who you love. It's your beliefs and convictions. One definition from the dictionary even defines heart as "one's innermost character, feelings, or inclinations". If home is where your heart is, then home should be wherever you are, right? No one can take away your character... or your heart. I may be currently residing in my fourth state now, but that doesn't mean that I should feel a constant homesickness. If you learn to be at home with yourself wherever you are, then home is always wherever you are, right? Foreclosure may take away the roof over your head, but no one can ever take away your home.

The definition of home is simple but complex. It's not always easy feeling at home wherever you are. People often deal with fears, insecurities, anger, or feel out of their comfort zones at times. Feeling at home should be something we all feel no matter where we are, but it's often easier said than done. If we strengthen our hearts, our character, and our ability to love, then aren't we essentially growing our home?

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Thank goodness for my husband and his kindness towards me. He typically deals with my moodiness better than I do. I recently went on a stretch of a few days where I was missing friends and family, and he gave me a darling card with a little girl and boy on the front. They were sitting next to the sea, fitting since we now live near the sea, and inside the card I found this quote: "Paradise is always where the love dwells" by Jean Paul Richter. My husband reminded me that we're in this together, and our home is wherever we are together.

Thankfully, my husband's new job brought us to Florida where we can be together more often. His last pilot job kept him away from home a lot, and he no longer has to 'overnight' anymore. Unfortunately we are both further away from friends and family, but we are enjoying spending more time together growing our definition of home. I am grateful for the opportunities we've been given, and I hope to continue learning to be at home no matter where we may reside.

"Home" by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros