In my youth I felt totally at home with my Mother, Father, and two Brothers. Then my Mom died when I was 13 and ever since then I have tried to find that kind of secure home. While contemplating this I thought of Homing Pigeons. "The longest homing pigeon flight ever recorded was 7,200 miles, from Arras, France, to Saigon, Vietnam. The flight took 24 days." (Hal2022) Animals, fish, insects, and all species apparently need a secure place to be. I realized this morning that I have habit of making up places/people in my mind that represent that feeling of being home. I return to them often, but they are often times unsatisfactory.
For instance...I have used an identity of being a very good guitar player to feel secure or an accomplished cabinet maker. I have used my girl friends, marriage partners, and my best friends. I used the identity of being a Bodhisattva ( weird ) to feel "grounded". I can only venture so far from my security blankets and then I need to return to them. I am starting to get attracted to learning to be "homeless". (psychologically).
It is said that relocating your home is the second most stressful experience for us...the first being the loss of a loved one. Our need to feel secure and at "home" is built in. In the book "Johnathan Livingston Seagull" the way he finally felt secure was soaring freely in the air. But we are not seagulls.
Where do you find home?
