We shall not cease from exploration
and the end of all our exploring
will be to arrive where we started
and know the place for the first time.
-T.S. Eliot
Oh hello there, I’ve been off exploring and it’s been some time since we last spoke. Since I last spoke, here, in this place, my online “home.”
Home: it’s a complicated concept, especially for those of us who’ve traveled, who’ve had more than one, who’ve had to leave one behind. For those of us who’ve watched one burn to the ground, whether metaphorically or literally. For those of us who have multiple homes or maybe no home at all or maybe both of those things simultaneously depending on how you frame it. For those of us who stumble over our words when someone innocently asks, “so where’s home for you?”
I have not had a home in the traditional sense for quite some time. I haven’t even lived anywhere in particular since I gave up my room last April to go on the road for work. This is not my first rodeo, either… I believe 8 months is my longest #vagabondlife record to date.
But… home is more than just a place where you sleep and keep your stuff.
It’s more, even, than the place where your family/friends/pets live.
It has to be.
In her book When the Heart Waits, author Sue Monk Kidd describes the concept of coming home as an archetype for “returning to one’s deepest self…. coming home fills us with a sense of being in the right place, a sense of deep spiritual belonging.”
By this definition, if being truly home means:
A) A sense of being in the right place, and
B) A place where you can be your deepest self,
Then… this blog is as much home as anywhere. (And, there is hope for vagabonds everywhere, but that’s a topic for another day.)
It’s looking a little dusty around here, but other than that, it’s pretty much exactly how I left it. It’s good to be back. See you around the neighbourhood!
This month I am participating in the November blogging challenge (aka National Blog Posting Month, aka NaBloPoMo, aka Nano Poblano), along with the Nano Poblano team. We’re going to spice up the Internet this month, so stay tuned, and if you’re interested in the details check out “The World’s Least Official November Blog Challenge.”
Breaking Moulds 
I’ve been thinking a lot recently about ‘home’ and what that means. Thanks for the post.
Well said! I’m looking forward to reading lots more of your posts.
Good to have you back! Welcome home 🙂 I look forward to reading your posts.
Thank you, it’s good to be back! And thanks for reading! 😀
Welcome home! Looking forward to reading more from you again. When The Heart Waits is a great book!
Thank you! Yes I am really enjoying the book! 🙂
you’ve got me thinking…
‘where’s home for you?’…I do not know 😉
Oh! Well! Best of luck figuring it out! It’s worth the trouble 😉
Love this post! I currently feel like I am between several homes as I discover where my heart truly lies… 🙂
Thank you! Yes the feeling of being between homes is a familiar one to me as well. Best of luck on your journey of discovery!
I’ve only ever had one geographical sense of “coming home.” It was to a place I’d never been before and the instant I stepped off the plane, there was a sense of setting in. Before that, there was only one other time where I felt I was “home” as I stepped over the threshold. That was a spiritual homecoming.
Welcome home. So good to have you ’round the table again. 🙂 I love the quote about home.
Thanks Rara! I’m glad to be back 🙂
Home is where the heart is! Literally been living in many houses since coming to this beautiful country and I have to agree that home is where you ‘find your deepest self’…
Indeed, I think people take that simple phrase for granted, but it’s very true! Glad to hear you’ve found your home here 🙂