Home is where the heart is? ♥

A lot of people refer to home as where their heart is, but where is home…? Is it where you live now, a place you grew up, where your parents stay now, where you wish you were…? Is it a building, a country, a town or simply a place where your familiar surroundings are?

A discussion I recently attended by Mhairi Bowe at the Sensations Science Centre in Dundee talked about psychology in the home. Predictable stereotypes of the word home like safe, familiarity and belonging were turned on their head within the first five minutes and we were asked to think about home in a new frame of mind. Talking about the past, present and future we were asked how this affected us.

Places have an emotional impact on us. By linking these emotions to the past, we can revisit these store houses (physically or mentally) and relive the memories we choose to. These strong emotional connections that we make may be meaningless to other people but to us they are personal.

By losing a place we are made to realise how much it meant to us. I am lucky in the sense that I have only ever lived in two houses my entire life. The first house I stayed is not far from where I stay now but because I moved to my present house when I was only one years old I can’t actually remember anything about the old house. Now I couldn't ever imagine moving away from my house, but why do we get so attached? So many things have happened in this house. Birthdays, Christmas’, special celebrations, etc.

Although we get attached to places, it is important sometimes to move on and find new comforts. Although moving out of home is a daunting prospect, it is also quite exciting wondering where I will end up.

Although my heart will always be in my childhood home, I hope that a new place someday could also share a piece too.


With thanks:
Photo: http://oels.byu.edu/student/idioms/proverbs/home.html