I grew up in a brick house with a well-tended garden, two amazing parents, a great older brother, and the world’s cutest miniature poodle. I know what it smells like, I could navigate it with eyes closed, and I know where all of the best spots for hide and seek are. That is the place I call home and I love it dearly. But what will I call home when I am away from the corner house on Summit? Well, I am currently living in a shoebox of a dorm room and surprise myself referring to it as home. But what I’m attempting to establish here is the idea of home as something other than a place one sleeps at night.
Today, a friend sent me a picture of girl we used to play field hockey with in high school. In the picture, she was walking with such a wide stride and the frame was unashamedly, absolutely, her. My immediate response to that was: “that stance is home.” It was so familiar and brought back instant memories of sweating and joking around with some of my best friends in the world. Whenever my roommate and I talk about our shared hometown, we always talk about how we miss our favorite shake place (Energizing Mission you have my heart). I think of the route I took to my high school every weekday morning. I think of the people I love the most.
Even when I’m not with them, I know home is a FaceTime call away. Home is not one place; I’m sure you’re all familiar with the phrase, “a home away from home.” Those “homes” are everywhere! Home can be as simple as finding a new coffee shop to camp out in and do homework. Home is anywhere that holds meaning. Yes, 99% of the time I whine to the aforementioned roommate about wanting to go “home,” I am referring to the brick house on the corner. But, I know that I have so many places and people that give me the “no place like home feeling” without being in that house. Home is simply a state of mind, that if you’re lucky enough, you can create almost anywhere.
