home is [where] the heart [is]
I offer you peace. I offer you love. I offer you friendship. I see your beauty. I hear your need. I feel your feelings. My wisdom flows from the Highest Source. I salute that Source in you. Let us work together for unity and love.
Gandhi
After the Santa Rosa fires tragically took down many houses in our neighborhood, the idea and act of being home for the holidays will look and feel a little different for my family this year.
Because a window busted in one of our bathrooms, my parents are now going through the arduous process of insurance claims, tossing all food, washing all clothing and sheets, and a literal laundry list of necessary tasks in order to make it habitable again. We also unfortunately had to say goodbye to both of our old doggies, one the week before and one shortly after the fires.
As such, we will be spending Christmas in a sweet rental home – still happily together, although under much different circumstances.
Typically on Christmas we are fortunate enough to wake up for breakfast, exchange gifts, laugh, eat, take a walk, visit with friends, and enjoy our decked halls with old and new decorations. I realize this is extremely privileged, of which we are all aware and thankful, and our house will be sorely missed this year.
Many of our friends in town and families in our neighborhood lost everything, and so we recognize how incredible it is to have a loving home in the first place.
Breaking tradition, however – especially ones we are fond of – is understandably a little bit heartbreaking. This situation has definitely shifted our perspective, including my own, of what the concept of home really means.
Home, as we know, is where the heart is. It is always within us; we are always home. Sometimes our physical bodies or circumstances feel unpleasant which makes it challenging to enjoy being at home, so we figure out ways to escape through consuming drugs or alcohol, constantly being on the go, staring at a screen instead of inside of our minds, or any physical and mental distraction that helps us flee our Selves and the moment.
At the most recent adidas x Brooklyn Museum event, a student came up to me after class and asked me where to take meditation classes in the city because he wanted to “leave the body.” I offered suggestions along with a gentle [yet firm] reminder that meditation is about being IN the body, not leaving it behind, no matter how uncomfortable it might feel for the time being.
Whenever and wherever we go, we must remember that we are always home. In a house full of people, we can lock ourselves in a room to temporarily find peace and quiet, but someone will inevitably knock on the door, forcing us to face the noise again.
It would be much more manageable over time – if not challenging – to look at and work with whatever is causing us pain rather than shutting things out or pushing things away for a few minutes here and there. Eventually, this work will offer us space to rest as peacefully as possible in the body and the home of our heart without the constant urge to peace out.
Whatever or whomever we may be seeking in any given moment, we probably already have a version of it – whether within us or in our material realm.
If our body and our hearts are the epitome of the home – wouldn’t it make sense to take care of them in the same way we clean and upkeep our living spaces? Would it be any different than sweeping floors or washing sheets in order to feel cozy, settled, at home and at ease?
Taking care of our bodies and minds so that we can effectively care for one another and feel happy in our physical abode does not necessarily mean we must look and act like the healthiest plant-based machine on the planet. It would, however, behoove us all to cultivate a balanced lifestyle that allows us the freedom to make personalized choices which will nourish us inside and out.
What does a balanced lifestyle even mean? To me, it translates as simple and sustainable practices like getting enough rest, laughing often, maintaining healthy relationships with friends and family, savoring clean and delicious meals that energize us [even if and when that includes treats], dancing, exploring new places and faces, falling back down and getting up again, taking care of Mama Earth, and whatever makes us feel awesome long term – holidays and beyond.
So whether or not we are currently in our place of residence for the holidays – for those of us fortunate enough to have a home at all – we are always home in our body. We may as well take care of and have fun with it while we can.
Wherever we end up this season, I encourage us all to return to the home of our hearts. May we look within and see our Selves in each other, recognize our shared humanity, and settle into our – albeit somewhat challenging – time here in our homes on this Earth.
Let us work together for unity and love.
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Photo: still shot from Grant Henry Media‘s Letters From A Yogi video.
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