I just returned to Penang, Malaysia from a 7-week friends and family tour of the USA. It was good to be there, and it's good to be home.
     I started in Los Angeles, then on to Santa Fe, Tampa (kind of), Charlotte, and Baltimore. I slept in hotels and the extra room in my children's homes.
     I drove unfamiliar cars in equally unfamiliar cities. I Lyfted, Uber'ed, and airlined. I ate whatever food was available, put before me, or that I cooked. I learned new remote controls and how to cast to TV. I met my childrens' neighbors, relatives, and co-workers. I chauffeured, read stories, and carried groceries.
     I loved every moment of it, even though it was disorienting at the same time. It was long (maybe too long) and yet it flew by in the blink of an eye.
     The best parts included spending an extended amount of time with my grandchildren. They are now more comfortable with me around and not just someone on Facetime. Oh, how beautiful they are!
     I loved being there when my granddaughters got their ears pierced. And when grandsons giggled their way to bedtime. When one got special hair highlights and another tries out for the college orchestra. And the long discussions about life, jobs, and choices with the adults. 
     But, now I'm home. And, yes, Penang, Malaysia feels like it is in my soul for the foreseeable future. 
     So what makes a home, home? 

• ​Your home environment matters. I really do love my little apartment by the sea. For reasons I'm still discovering, I love being around the water. Seeing the trees. Noticing new birds. Closing and locking the door and feeling safe. Just watching a movie when I want to. The clients who come one by one (Facetime, phone or in person). Because I can. So--your actual environment in which you live matters. How it feels. What that environment says to you and how it lets you grow. 
• Part of living my authentic life is to acknowledge that what I encounter and see in my physical home must be uplifting and inspirational to me. I purposely choose artwork, dishes, pillow covers, colors, and more that are life-giving to me. My mugs need to feel good in my hands. My artwork must call me to higher, more joyful things. And so on.
• I want to spend time with life-giving people, too. I have so enjoyed getting to know folks from all walks of life and all places in the world who have made this little island their home. Yes, we have differences, but we have way more similarities. And we laugh a lot. Do I have good friends in the USA, too? Absolutely. Yet, I seem to be right where I am called to be right now. No pressures to be anyone else. Just me. Which also means that I have time to do the spiritual growth and inquiry that I love to do. I am grateful.
• Home lets me be me. I know that sounds cliche...but I'm not sure that I was always able to be me in my life or work situations. Or, I abdicated myself to my codependency tendencies and perfectionism. I'm still figuring this out, regardless of my age!
• Home gives you rest. Or at least it can and should. Years ago I read a book about the concept of Sabbath Rest. How we each need that time to reboot our lives, to shut things off and start fresh. Just like our computers that need to be turned off and on sometimes just to let them go back to zero point, stop the buzz, and start again. We humans (and animals) do, too.

     Yeah, I've shed a few tears about missing my loved ones, but I'm equally grateful for getting to live a life that I've chosen, designed, and longed for. 

      Ah, home. I'm grateful.