What Is Your Definition of ‘Home’?

A few weeks ago, someone asked me: Where is home?

I looked at him without skipping a beat, pointed to myself, and said: home is here.

I’m sure I had been asked the question a thousand times, maybe more. But this time, for the first time, I pointed to myself.

I’ve been living in Makarska, Croatia for nine months. Since moving here, I’ve told most people that Makarska is homebase.

Abandoned Children’s Health Resort. Krvavica, Croatia

Before that, I was living in Canada. I was born in Canada. My parents, brothers, their families, extended family, and many friends live in Canada, and that will always be a part of me; I imagine I will always refer to that place as home because of the many people I love who live there.

I’ve lived in Austria and Sweden; those were home for those short periods.

My parents were born and raised in Bosnia Herzegovina. I feel connected to the place and the people, and I often refer to my parent’s homeland as my second home.

But a few weeks ago, chatting with a stranger, something finally clicked when I was asked, where is home?

It seems I finally understood that to build a home outside yourself, you must make a home inside yourself.

The foundation of my home should be rooted in the things I value and the things that bring me joy.

I can’t build a home based on other people’s values, other people’s beliefs, other people’s dreams.

Well, I can, and I did. But eventually, you wake up and realise you’re tending to a home that isn’t yours.

And so, over these last three years, I have started to build a home within myself.

I’ve started to take note of what I value. I’ve begun to explore the things that bring me joy. I’ve started to release the things that no longer serve me. I’ve built a home within myself.

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A few days ago, a dear friend told me you are living your best life.

And I thought about it, and this is my reply:

I’ve only just begun to live my best life. And it has a lot to do with the fact that I finally understand the meaning of the word home.

Dear reader, with that being said, what is your definition of home?

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