Home is where the heart is.

As most of you know, I moved here and left my home in California on a whim. No plan in mind. No deep "trying to find myself". I just put some cities in a hat and picked one. But in doing that, I've learned more about myself and the world than I ever could have imagined. Whatever I left for, I've found it. People keep asking me when I'm coming back "home". But you know the main thing I've noticed? Home is where the heart is. As cliche as that sounds, I've really started to believe that. 

We leave home and we move on and we make new homes for ourselves. I've discovered that home can be a person. Or a scent. Even a skyline. One of the things that drew me to Nashville is our skyline. It has everything you could want. And every time you go back to one of your homes and see these skylines, you get that butterfly feeling in your stomach; a feeling of love and nostalgia and excitement. You've made it. You're home. Zora Neale Hurston said it like this: “Ships at a distance have every man’s wish on board.” But a recent thoughtcatalog article put it a bit differently: skylines harbor all our hopes. That has really stuck with me. Home is where your heart lies. Where your dreams soar. And where your hopes blossom. I, for one, plan on having multiple other "homes" as my life continues. So if you feel homeless...or you haven't found it yet...keep looking. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you've found it. You'll know when you're home. Look for places and people and things that keep you grounded while lifting you up; look for things you can take, while letting go of what takes from you.  Don't look back, but go forward with your memories. You don't have to return to anything, but know that it's always there with open arms to welcome you back. It's this fleeting sense of wanderlust that lets you give your life meaning. And that, my friends, is the meaning of life. ❤