What do you consider to be home? Is it the place where you grew up, or spent most of your life? Do you call the place you currently live your home, or just where you rest your head? I consider all of those to be the meaning of home.
Most of my readers are aware that I am not from the area in which I reside. I spent over 20 years living in Florida, the sunshine state (even though the sun doesn't always shine). Less than two years ago, I moved from Florida to Indiana. The reason why didn't stick, but I didn't want to just leave.
I think about Florida a lot, and as time goes by, it gets much easier. Some people think that you can help being homesick. This is something that is just not true. Missing home doesn't always mean you miss the exact location. It can be little things, and for me, that's exactly what makes up the things that make me miss the place I called home.
Jacksonville is not a place that most people would consider a place that someone would miss. There's so much crime, and it's going more and more downhill as time goes by.
However, this is the place that I called home for many, many years. I can narrow the reasons why I miss home so much down to three: Weather, beach, and all the people.
1. Weather
When making a drastic move from Florida to Indiana, the weather would be the first guess on what someone would miss the most. Where it is true that I do miss the warm weather, and the ability to wear flip flops 365 days a year, it's not what I miss the most. I do enjoy warm weather more than anything, but I can't say that I'm completely upset.
The reason why I say that is because I have grown accustomed to the cold, at least to a point. I spent more than 25 years never seeing snow in my life. So when I finally experienced it, it was something you just can't describe, at least not to someone who's never seen it personally. That's one thing you can't get in Florida.
2. Ocean
This almost became the number one thing that I missed, but it made number two. Growing up near the ocean all your life is something I would imagine someone would not trade for anything in this world. At least, that's how I feel about it. There is just something about it that you just can't explain to someone who has never seen it. For a person like me, you will get excited just smelling the salt in the air. I don't think there's a better feeling than headed to the beach, and smelling the ocean before you even get there. It was the best growing up laying in the sand, swimming to sand bars, fourth of July parties, and even just going there because as teenagers, that's what we did.
I think that this was one of the hardest things to leave when I moved to Indiana. It's something you can't just replace, and it's more than just an ocean. It's something that you grew up knowing, and never being more than an hour drive away from. I moved in awareness that this is something I would not be seeing, considering that Indiana is a land-locked state. In the beginning, it was really hard and I will always miss it.
However, I have grown accustomed to the way things are here, as far as it being land-locked. It's taken some work, but as each day goes by, I consider this my home even more.
3. Family and Friends
The thing I miss the most is the familiarity of everything. When you spend so many years in one place, and then leave, it's bound to have a drastic effect on you. The one thing I could never replace is the love and the memories that I have with my loved ones. I never in my life thought I would be so far away from them. Whereas I miss them everyday, I'm getting used to it, as bad as that may sound.
The moral of this is simple. Though you may not believe that any other place can be considered home, I can assure you that just isn't true. It's been almost two years, and I can finally say that I feel more at home now, and that I feel like I belong here. Home is not where your family is, home is not where you grew up. Home is simply where you choose, and where your heart truly lies. For me, it ended up being the place that turned me into the person I am today, and for that, I am eternally grateful.
