'Home'

Recently, have been ruminating on that word. It is a concept that everyone has their own definition for, I believe.

First of all, my dearest friend wrote, 'It is time you came home.'

And I thought, 'Where is that????' And I answered facetiously, 'I already AM at home.' And that is true enough.... It feels like home to me where I am...

But seeing the interview on the internets with Dr. Maja Angelou brought back some very intense memories of helping someone with a dissertation, she was one of the subjects, and it was about concepts of 'home'.

Is it where you feel accepted, and most comfortable, the place where you understand all the traditions and are ok with them? Then yes, I feel I am in my home. Some of the people in that dissertation spent an awful lot of time, searching for their heritage in Africa, or the Caribbean, and took a very long time to declare any one place their 'home'.

And no, am not going to give anyone an answer to something I find unanswerable. Oh we had some very long discussions on that topic, I remember. And they were very nice and opened up some things for me that I had just given up on, or surpressed.

Except that my gut reaction to my friend's question frightened me. People where I grew up can constitute 'home', because I love them. But the overall experience growing up where I did? It was never 'home' for as long as I can remember back. And as early as I found out there were other places in the world, I wanted nothing more than to leave. And then I did. It was no easy decision and I spent a very long time reaching it.

So maybe we have a sort-of definition of what 'home' is in the above. I went out and adopted a home for myself. It isn't perfect, there can be bad-guys just as anywhere else. But there is a difference between places where you are tolerated at the very best, and never really accepted, or places where you are mostly accepted as the person you are and almost never have to feel hurt or afraid.

And if the latter, it becomes 'home'. Where you feel right in your skin, and mostly happy. What more could one ask for....

And yes, it isn't all as easy as I am describing it. It means working very hard to understand a new place and culture, and learn to appreciate them fully. And I think most of the time, I have.

Anyone wish to embroider on this, or explain another view of it? Comments always welcome....

Oh yes, the photo was shot about two hours ago. I love the light in the autumn.