I enjoy getting out and gallivanting around. I enjoy visiting friends and talking endlessly about random topics, seeing new sites, playing games with fun people, taking pictures of new sites... But I always want to come back to my own space, my own shelter, where I can retreat and think and regroup. It has dawned on me: I would like to own my own place. Or at the very least rent it. But I'd like to have a yard that's mine, a house that's mine. Preferably a place which feels private and secluded. A place with a hammock. And a water garden. And an herb garden. Or at the very least a nice deck with chairs. And a fireplace. And a fire pit. Maybe a pool to relax and cool off in.
But despite knowing a few features I'd like to have in a home, when I think of having a place of my own, it's almost never in the context of a particular location or setting. What I most readily think of is having my own study, a place I can go to shut the world out and just be by myself, alone and isolated, a "fortress of solitude" of sorts, I suppose, where I can go to get in touch with myself and be in my own space when I need to recharge. I don't need a house on a mountain, or on a beach, or in Switzerland or the Florida Keys. I want a beautiful view, preferably of the ocean, but I want it not because of some luxury or stature but because it helps me tune the world out and quiet my soul. So I don't need the view to be in any particular place, and if I could, I'd take my fortress of solitude with me wherever I went. I might even be willing to sacrifice having the property in order to take my shelter with me. It doesn't have to be a place to go back to, I don't think, though that might be nice too, assuming it's a place where close friends and family are nearby when I'm done retreating.
I guess I do this in some small form when I travel, even short distances. I take my camera bag, gym bag, laptop bag, some extra clothes for any occasion, water, sometimes games, or anything else which might come in handy. Unless I have to pack light for some reason, I don't. I take "home" with me to an extent.
Accordingly, I've decided hermit crabs are on to something...
3 comments:
Home is also where you're loved.
That doesn't narrow it down for Jay though- he's loved everywhere he goes :)
And just so ya know, Jay- having an ocean view kinda rules out having Utah be home (and hopefully, that means Seattle is still a contender?) ;-)
That home to you never takes place in the context of a particular location or setting says to me that you are comfortable with yourself and can make yourself feel 'home' no matter where you are.
Sounds very healthy to me.
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