spring, bodypainting art by johannes stotter |
Your feet crunch gravel as you take slow and thoughtful
steps along the narrow, meandering path. It’s not the trees concealing what
lives just beyond that begs you further, nor is it the sound of the sea, its
gentle lapping soothing away the rough edges of your day. No, you are pulled
along this path like a magnet to her source, something deep within, begging you
near.
When you finally see the house you realize you were holding
your breath and you let it out, with a long, heartfelt sigh … of relief. But
why? Why are you relieved? You have never been here before.
Or have you?
Did you forget?
You take off your shoes and leave them on the wood planked
porch, your toes reveling in their newfound freedom. Then your eyes and your
fingers, and that ache within your chest, together they express that
magnet-longing again, so you knock, and the door creaks open. “Hello?” you say,
“Anybody home?”
But all you hear is the beating of your own heart and the
wind through the trees and the gentle lapping of the sea. And yet, you tremble.
Rays of sunlight trickle into the main sitting room, the
rest of the house lit with soft warm lights, the kind that remind you of the
hue of a candle in a cozy space on a cold winter night. You smile. You let your
eyes take in everything else … the rich colors of the walls, the way the couch
and the pillows beg to be enjoyed, their fabrics and weaves igniting something
secret inside. And then you see the sculptures made of wood and stone and how
flowers seem to find themselves in more places than your eyes can even see—in
vases, along bookshelves, in front of paintings and hanging from aged wooden
beams. You feel your body soften, your shoulders loosen, and your voice oozes
out an ‘ahhh’.
Your fingers run themselves along the spines of every book
you have ever loved and more that you didn’t know you longed to read, their
titles giving you new thoughts, ideas, sparkles inside your chest. Their
leather and paper spines feel smooth and kind and take you back to when you
weren’t afraid to be vulnerable because you were safe. Safe and happy within
your walls.
You lift your head, for your nose breathes in a lovely
scent. It’s vaguely familiar but you can’t place it. A perfume? Something
baking? Or is it a memory with no form at all? You walk forward, toward it, and
just as you do, a figure appears from around the corner, her arms carrying a
tray, a tray filled with delights, devourables, delicacies that barely have a
name…
You are Home.
* * *
How do you feel when you near the place you live? Does your
body harden or does it soften? Do you think of all the things you have
forgotten to do, or does your mind release the worries and put on a warm,
peaceful shawl? Do you shed or do you pack on … requirements, rules, heavy?
When you return to that place you call home, does it really feel like home? Or
is it a mere house, a place you just live.
A true home is a place we feel safe. Safe enough to shed our
weights and worries, to shed our layers accumulated throughout our days. It is
a place of colors and textures and gifts that brighten up our eyes and give new
life to our dreams. A true home gives our spirit wings. A house merely contains
our body.
My Wish this week for you, is to create, for yourself, a
greater, more soulful haven within which to live—to transform house, into Home.
What makes you feel safe?
What encourages you to shed your layers and to reveal your raw
Self, your deeper You, your vulnerable You?
No need to think big, begin small. Is it a color, a softness
that your fingers love to touch, is it a scent or a sound, or a combination of
many? Tune in to your senses—the few, the largely hidden—that whisper you are
safe. Go there, walk along that crunch gravel path, let your senses guide your
way, your heart acting as your rudder, your soul as your sail.
Listen … listen … listen for the scent of Home.
6 comments:
This used to be my home but not so much anymore...though I do still feel a release as I approach it...time to move on
You're listening and honoring what you hear:) I wonder if the release you feel now will seem minute or shallow once you move and create your new Home, a place that truly resonates with your deeper You. SO excited for this new chapter of your life, dear Jo!! Thank you for sharing!
Home... I found it in the last year, right in my heart... But place does make a difference. Connections make a difference. It all seems to boil down to where I feel most at peace. And that's where I live, but it is also knowing that the people I love are at peace... perhaps that's even more important. To all reading this, peace be with you. Wherever home is... Peace be with you.
Bravo Michael!! Thank You for those touching thoughts.
Thanks Brynne for your inspiration!
:) Beautiful You :)
Peace. In our hearts. In our homes. In the hearts and homes of those we love and those we will never meet.
Thank you, beautiful Michael.
Soo happy you found your home and your peace.:)
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