Tien-Jen

The grey clouds blanketed the sky and I could feel the rain dripping on my head and the immense relief of arriving home. A flash of lightening filled the room and the thunder roared loudly outside. There’s a sense of security and comfort being at home. Home can mean so many different things to different people. There’s our physical home where we have shelter and warmth, the home within us where no matter where we are we feel a sense of peace and there’s the feeling of home that we might find in another person or place.

Physical home. Have you ever travelled somewhere and come back home and feel at ease with all the familiarity? There’s this warm feeling of being back home. Home is where you can put your legs up on the couch, have a cup of tea, watch a movie and be your complete self. It’s the space where you can relax, enjoy your hobbies, take a warm shower, sleep and rest, cook a delicious meal, sing and dance, watch the world go by outside and enjoy the small, simple moments.

Home within. No matter where you may be in the world, home is the inner peace within. It’s the feeling of being present within your body and soul, the feeling of being safe and connected and the feeling of being comfortable in your own skin. Feeling home within is living aligned to your values, being your true self in the world and seeing the hope, love and light within yourself and other people.

Feeling at home. We can feel home within another person or in a certain place. Home can be found in someone we love dearly or it can be found somewhere that holds a special place in our heart. Home can also be found in a song, a book, a smell or a meal we grew up eating. For example, in the film Ratatouille, Anton Ego eats a Ratatouille dish and has a flashback to his childhood of when he fell over on his bike. His mother made him a delicious Ratatouille dish to comfort him.

What does home mean to you?

Art by Yelena Bryksenkova