“There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered.” -Nelson Mandela

The notion of “home” is so interesting.

Homebody.

Homesick.

Homegrown.

Homecoming.

Hometown.

So many words that begin with the all-important four letters that make up the word home.

Home also has so many different meanings.

Where do YOU feel most at home?

Is it in your childhood bedroom with 90s boy band posters still plastered on the wall? Is it in your first apartment- the place you experienced true independence for the first time? Maybe it’s a place you frequent often or a place you visit once a year for family vacation.

For me, home is a variety of different places and feelings.

1. Ocean City, New Jersey. The idea for this post was sparked because I’m actually sitting here writing this from my second-floor porch overlooking a picturesque Ocean City street. If I stand and look over the balcony, I can see the ocean. I’m here on vacation now and each year for my entire life, my family and I have spent our summers “down the shore” as we say in Philadelphia. I have many childhood memories of going on the rides on the boardwalk, happily eating funnel cake with my mom, playing cards late at night way past my bedtime, body surfing the waves in the ocean and searching for perfect seashells along the shore to paint. This place is my home away from home. As soon as I see the familiar boardwalk, sand and sea, I instantly feel calmer, happier and more at peace.

2. My yoga studio. Over the past two years, Dana Hot Yoga has become another home to me. It started out just being a great place to get an awesome workout. Then, slowly I began to make friends at yoga and  the studio became a gathering place where I found community. A few months later, I started yoga teacher training and began spending the majority of my free time in that gorgeous studio with the bright red wall and massive windows overlooking Mt. Carmel Ave. When I walk into the studio, just like down the shore, I instantly feel calmer. The space is sacred, quiet and perfect for relaxing and renewing.

3. My yoga mat. Just like my yoga studio has become a home to me, more than anything, my yoga mat is my home. My mat is my safe place. It’s a place where I can explore all the possibilities available to me. It’s a space to try new things and test my limits. Sometimes it can be a place of frustration, but the negatives are part of our homes, just as much as the positives. It’s a place I come and instantly feel more peace and calm as soon as my body hits the mat. That navy blue rectangle 71″ x 26″piece of rubber is one of the most inexpensive, yet most powerful places I call home.

4. Temple University. While I only actually lived on campus for one semester, Temple University is another one of my homes. Even though I commuted, I spent every week day from 7 a.m. often until 9 or 10 p.m. on campus for class, sorority, PRSSA, working as a tutor at the writing center and many other activities for four years. Now, even as an alumna, I head back to campus at least once a month for Temple Women’s Network meetings and events. Although campus has changed drastically since I graduated in 2010, it’s still my home and I feel a comforting sense of familiarity when I grab coffee and a pork roll sandwich at Richie’s, hurry down Liacouras Walk on my way to a meeting or meet friends for drinks at The Horse or Maxi’s.

5. My actual home. Obviously, my actual home with my family makes the list here. I love the house I grew up in and have so many positive memories of spending time there with my incredible family. While we often complain about the house (We don’t have a garage! Why doesn’t this house have a basement?! It’s not big enough!) it is truly home. I love my bedroom with the big bay windows that let in light (even though as a teenager I complained every weekend morning that the sun woke me up!), I love our cozy living room where there are barely enough seats for family movie night and I love our kitchen table where I spend so many mornings working on this blog and my freelance biz.

6. Anywhere with my family. Anywhere and any time I am with my immediate family (my mom, dad, sister Jamie, brother Matthew, puppy Buddy and cat Axel) I am at home. My family is extremely close- just the other week I was out for a family dinner and my friend commented, “Wow, your family spends more time together than anyone I know” and I felt oddly proud. I love that we are so close and I hope we will continue to be as we grow older and start our own families.

What does home mean to you? Where do you feel at home?

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