We tend to think of home as a structure, four walls and roof wherein we can lie our weary head, if not every night, then at least most nights. A place to call our own. A place where comfort and security welcome us through the door, protecting us from the stress, harshness, and danger we sometimes find in the big, outside world.
An acquaintance recently told me she'd lived in one house her entire life, having acquired her childhood home from her parents soon after she was married at a young age. I couldn't imagine. Counting apartments, I myself have lived in seven homes over four decades; the last three racked up in an 18-month period of upheaval. Much in the way I assume my Gypsy ancestors felt, I found out that home can be a place within myself, rather that any walls and roof that may shelter me. A place that no matter how far afield I may wander, I can always return to at the end of the day.
I don't mean to sound cavalier, or somehow ungrateful for the warm and comfortable dwellings I have lived in. I have always treasured my home, delighting in making each one a place for life, for love, and to nurture not only children and family, but anyone who should enter therein.I personally love to decorate -- redecorate -- and redecorate again, embodying the concept of making it my own, making it a place of comfort for all who live there. Don't we all do that to some extent? Change the paint color, hang new curtains, add a picture here, a plant there; nesting. If the way in which we appoint our surroundings is an extension of self, then the better we know ourselves, the closer we are to finding a permanent home no matter where we might actually live. "I come home to myself; home is always waiting."
Often, when we venture outside of the house we live in, we wear masks that enable us to facilitate our lives; to co-exist peaceably with family, friends, and neighbors; to meet the social norm; to get along and fit in. Yet we must take care to never allow these many masks to obscure our true selves. What, then, is the true self? Core values (your understanding of right and wrong, good and evil), moral and ethical boundaries (how far over the line will you step if you believe the end result is justified?), and the character of your spirit (kind and generous, positive and hopeful, or the opposites). Only in deeply exploring and knowing this true self are we able to return to it at any time -- to dwell within it at all times.
Once we know ourselves once we are at home with who we really are, then we can carry that home with us wherever we may roam; like a wise old turtle. And just as the turtle's shell protects it from enemies and other dangers, knowing your true self will protect you from the slings and arrows of life. Staying firmly rooted in your core values ensures that the choices you make on a daily basis, your interaction with, and reactions to the people you encounter, will still be an accurate reflection of your true character, no matter which mask ( if any) you may choose to wear. As Shakespeare said, "To thine own self be true." Once you can accomplish this, you will always be home.
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