Home is...

I've now been in Brussels for 1 full month. Surprising. Does that make me feel settled?....No.

(It doesn't help that I've lived in 2 different apartments and still haven't unpacked my check-in bags. Hooray for a new flat on March 1st!)

I've been suffering from feelings of displacement lately, and am still trying to figure out what exactly I'm doing here on this new spot on the globe.

As I've grappled with my nomadic angst, I’ve been trying to come up with a satisfactory definition of the idea of “home”. Unlike some individuals, for whom this is a very definitive place with a door and an unchanging postal address, I’ve grown up with a very flexible sense of home, and am all the more aware of this as I continue with my nomadic ways on my own into adulthood.

I’ve been thinking about writing a children’s story about this predicament, but that is indeed another story, and I’ll share it with you if it ever happens.

In the meantime, here are my brainstorms to the definition of home.



Home is…

...where the heart is (old & overused, but I think it does hold true)
…the place (or places) you always want to go back to
…a place you feel comfortable saying “I’m from”
…where you make yourself at home
…where your family is
…a place where you could put your socks in a drawer if you wanted to
…a place where you feel safe to lay your head and trustingly loose consciousness on a regular basis
…where you can be you
…any place you stay for more than 2 weeks
...the permanent mailing address you can always remember
…where you decide to be at home
…the place where they always have to take you in
…a place where you can comfortably wear your pyjamas
…a place where you stay, dig in and make it better
…an ecosystem that supports you and that you acknowledge and appreciate
…where love is…where you give love and get love

What’s your vote? Any good suggestions for me?