- Experiencing a longing for one's home during a period of absence from it. Like the craving of certain objects or the rituals you perform when you wake up and before you go to bed; the quiet but intense familiarity of a mug you drink from everyday or the specific bounce of your favourite pillow
- To be sick of being home. When everything seems so over-familiar, even boring, and you crave newness. A new city, a break from the usual, an adventure to restart your system.
It’s likely we’ve experienced both of these definitions (perhaps the second more so in the last couple of years). We all need change, novelty and newness. Routine and consistency are great until they feel like being stuck in the mud. Sometimes it’s the monotony of your commute, the groundhog day scenes (did I leave the house today has been an actual question we’ve asked ourselves more than once), the similitude of conversations with friends, the all-too-familiar landmarks of your neighbourhood.
Often that inspires some sort of change, whether it’s big (booking a flight to a far-flung country for an indeterminate amount of time) or small (changing up the coffee shop you go to). But in the end, we have this innate desire to return home, whatever that means to us. And even if it inspires a total life-changing move, we’ll still be looking for that slice of home in the new reality we’ve created for ourselves. The comfort and the soul of home can be as magnetic as a first love. Because what are homes if not a sanctuary to return to?
And more than the objects or artwork or pieces of furniture, it’s the little details or quirks that make a space feel like home. The dink in the wall you made when you moved in. The smooth groove of a knot in the hardwood flooring. The frayed edges of a rug that’s lived in as many houses as you. That one stain you can’t get out of the carpet but reminds you of the best dinner party you’ve ever thrown. The corner you sit in because it gets the most sunlight.
That’s why this month we’re reflecting and focusing on the soulfulness of home. Whether it’s having a drink at the end of the day, gathering around the kitchen table, sinking into the sofa with a good book or simply sitting in the not-so-used parts of your home (halls deserve love too!). Life is for living, homes are for living in, and there’s nowhere quite like home to feel like your most soulful self.
