Home and LOVE

What really constitutes Home? Is it a physical place, a state of mind, of heart, a place in time (not necessarily the one you are presently living in), or another person? Could it be all of the above and others I have not thought of?

I have been pondering this for quite some time, looking at my own life and that of those around me. Living in California’s Bay Area has been a revelation…in that so many of us are transplants. Many I know are people who have come here, looking to find something that may have been missing or too much where they came from.

I have done a fair amount of reading and thinking on the population of California, and it seems to reflect the development of a new country rather than a state in the union. New countries have a lot of ups and downs…but perhaps not to those on the outside, looking in or dreaming about what they believe it to be.

I moved to California from the Pacific Northwest, and it was odd but I got to know many people who were actually born here. This was good for me, a newcomer, but the longer I have stayed, the more I realize that the many true natives here rarely allow transplants into their lives. They tend to stick with the family and friends they have had practically since birth. I have heard this is similar to people born in Paris…though I have not had much experiences in finding out yet. I would think that depends on the disposition of the people, and perhaps the numbers of people who come, and overshadow those born in the place.

There are those born in a place and believe that it belongs to them and they must stay. Is that really a feeling of home? For some I am sure it is. There are those born in a place, which try other worlds and find that where they originally came from works the best. Is that giving up the search, accepting less, or have they truly found their hearts delight by process of elimination? As our worlds grow smaller on this planet, we often come head to head with the realization that what is true for us, may not be true for others…and often is not.

As I have grown somewhat wiser through trial and error, I really wonder if it is so good to depend on another person to be home for us. This may stem from my own experiences or simply be a factor of human life. If that person leaves or changes in ways we simply cannot accept, what happens to our home? I have known a few people who truly seemed to be partnered with a “soul mate”. Some were legal partners, others were not. I got the feeling even being in their presence, that there was something extraordinary about the relationship…it seemed to transcend mere earthly connections Sometimes I wondered if this connection might have come from another life time.

It is all interesting, and when I think of my feelings for Paris, I have to take into consideration, that an awful lot of others have similar feelings. How did we get to this place, and does it matter that we may not actually live in that place every day? I have some ideas about how I got to loving Paris, but it really doesn’t matter. Perhaps dreaming of love is just as rewarding for some of us, as coming face to face with that dream. Perhaps just allowing ourselves to LOVE is the most important thing.

I decided to look up the word HOME, in an American dictionary. There were 2 pages of definitions and variations of the word. Then for fun I looked on Google on line, for French definition. There were much fewer ….. Basically…. house, country, family.

What about those who have many houses and are often on the lookout for another? Is this from boredom, wanting to save wonderful houses…an addiction for moving, or trying to find home?

Then I started thinking about the different definitions, such as a state of mind. There are certain states of mind and heart that are most comfortable, and feel very much like home. What if those are from dreaming of places of the past…or the future? What about a place that has a spiritual element? I have walked into places that transport me to some other realm. I don’t really know how, they just do.