"There's no place like home..." but where is HOME?

Where is your home? Is it the place you sleep  when your day is through? Is it where you display photographs of loved ones? What do you think about when you hear the word "home?" Is it your refuge? Is it the place you hide from your demons? What makes one place "home" and another "away from home?"

One of the first things that I do when I move into a new place is set up the bed, put toilet paper in the bathroom, and put decorations on the walls. I know it might sound trivial to others, but for me, it's part of making it my space. Somehow by me moving my things and "marking it" it transforms from an empty shell to my space. For me, the magic is in the memories I bring and use to decorate. Does it change the overall feeling of the place instantly? No, but it removes the stark emptiness. It's like candle in dark room. The small act of decoration lights up the space.

Maybe it has something to do with taking ownership over the space. Parents name their children names that are family names, or names that give them a warm feeling, or names they hope will sent them apart from others making their children unique from all the world. When you take ownership over some place- are we not doing the same thing? You are claiming the space; setting it apart from all others. The label of your stuff makes it yours.

What about places that you know are temporary in your life? Why do they not feel as home like? I think it has something to do with the fact that you have to fill them. You have to feel love within the walls. It might not be the touch of your lover or best friend. Maybe you need to hear someone who cares about you say how much you matter to them within the space. Memories and moments and laughter need to be let loose to chase away the cobwebs of stale. You need to know that no matter what is said- you at still safe.

So what make a place home? I think it's making memories, and sharing your dreams, feeling love and feeling safe and content within the walls. It's not just where you sleep.... it's the fact that you reach out for your loved one in the bed. It's the fact that the towels smell like your laundry detergent. It's that the pillow cases smell like the people you love's shampoo. Home is more than four walls and a feeling of safety. It's knowing that even when you are alone- you aren't an island. You are tethered to others.

For many, home is not four walls and a roof....
-its the arms of someone who would go through hell and high water for you,
-its the way the person who loves you looks at you when you're a hot mess and still sees someone they love.
-it's the laughter in the kitchen at random moments,
-it's the words said to praise and nurture.

Home wasn't ever a place.