Home is…

Home is… an elusive place. Have I ever really felt “at home”? I grew up in Adrian, Michigan – did I ever really fit in? It surely never really felt like I did.

I lived and studied abroad in Mexico for a year, and what a year it was! That year was filled with some of the best adventures and now some of my most vivid memories. And yet, I came back to Michigan, back to “home,” back to what was comfortable. And here I am over 15 years later wondering where I belong.

Today, living in Lansing, Michigan, I wonder if this small-big city is my real home. Sure, it’s got everything I could ever need. And certainly, my husband is here which makes it more home to me than anywhere else at this current stage of life. But do I truly belong in Lansing?

Because isn’t that what home is? Or should be? A place to belong? A place to really rest your head, and not in the morbid sense, but in the sense of true peace, relaxation, and calm. A place to truly get a break from the hustle and bustle of this crazy, modern, fast-paced world. A place where your mind, your thoughts can be at rest, be at peace.

Maybe home for me is in the woods on a quiet morning or tranquil afternoon, hiking and connecting with nature. Maybe that’s my home…surely that’s where I feel most at peace. If home is where you can and do find peace, then I suppose that’s the answer. That’s where I truly belong.

Maybe the answer to feeling more at peace, to feeling more “at home” is spending more time walking outside, hiking on a trail, being in nature, soaking in the calm, wondrous woods. The scent of pine, the soft carpet of needles underfoot. The mysterious bird songs that someday I should probably learn to identify. The million and one types of flora. The wonder and marvel of re-discovering a place across the seasons throughout a year.

Home for me is being wrapped up in the embrace of Mother Nature. I’m a homebody and an introvert certainly, but being able to spend all my time at home, if home is nature, is the best way to be at home for me.