One of the most fundamental ideas a person needs is a clear idea of the direction they want to be heading in.  Using a compass as a metaphor, it is easy to see we have four significant directions to choose from, each with various benefits, hopes, dangers, and possibilities.  I often think of my direction and think long and hard about which move would be the best for me right now.  North? South? West? Living in Maine, East isn’t an option if I plan to stay on this continent.  But there is Europe.  We all must choose a direction in life and have the courage to follow it through to its end.

That is the kicker, and we will never know if we are right or not until we try. That is a terrifying proposition, but don’t let fear stop you from chasing your destination in whatever direction you must travel. I am restless, and I know I am looking for something that feels like home, and I will go wherever it requires me to find that destination, both inside of myself and in the experience of the outer world, because home is where we all belong.

Searching for Home

I have been fortunate to have many different places to call home in my life. All left a mark on me in one way or another. Some were pleasant, almost magical places. That time has taken and molded my thoughts and memories into something better than I am sure it was.  Places have all the power we give to them in our thoughts, but they are just locations. Buildings don’t have souls once the people we care about leave them. They are just buildings. Memories are stored in our minds and can be brought back to life in one form or another at any time we choose. Home is not a physical place.

Of course, home is a spiritual destination we are all traveling to find. You set your sites. You start to walk. Sometimes others join you, and you know home must be the most beautiful place in the Universe. The warmth that love brings is like a comforting blanket but all the more painful when all you have is a memory of that, and you are walking your road alone.  The journey we travel on the inside may be longer and more complicated than any cross-country trip you have ever taken. Our minds can sometimes create considerable mountains in our way, and we must walk across them if we are to find our home.  Facing our fears, our losses, or self-incrimination. But the hero will always overcome, and home is the ultimate reward.  I Believe home is somewhere, or more accurately ‘In there somewhere.

Where to Go?

We all face this question when searching for the place we belong to. Where do we want to go? What do we want to do? And whom do we want to do these things with? The answer to these questions is simple and complicated, and it will be given in your heart. Listening to your heart will give you an answer about where you want to go, what to do, and who to spend your time with. Listening is not a strong suit for most people. We are spending our time thinking we have the best answers, and these are the very patterns of behavior that have made us unhappy and further from home in the first place.

Seeing destinations as outer places can be a mistake because the longest journey is often the one we take inside ourselves, and we are searching for something we had back at the beginning of things. Each step we take outwardly toward something we think we want takes us further from the place we are meant to be on the inside.  Take a moment, take a breath, and turn off the mind. You can travel 10,000 miles and visit many different countries and still not be any closer to finding the peace you have been seeking your whole life, in your own feeling of home.  It has been there, inside of you all along.

Start Again

Once you realize that, it is a tie to start another journey. Put it in your heart, the feelings you value, the person you want to be.  This is a time of remembering, and it is at this moment you decide to start walking your life’s path.  Some places we go to will be fantastic, and some will be not so great. The path provides value to the trip.  Your growth as a person and understanding of life will be the ultimate result of your journey.  The long path of life leads us here and there, chasing fortune, fame, and love, and in the end, we are softly deposited with the realization we are right back where we started the trip. Home is inside you.