There’s No Place Like Home, but, First, the Tornado
You know that feeling of coming back home? Maybe after a long day at work or after a trip. You get to sink into your comfy bed and lounge around in sweatpants. An internal, physical sigh––relief.
But, sometimes, coming back home is…weird.
I live in a college town and it’s Homecoming season around here. People coming back to celebrate their alma matters and places they once lived. Celebrating a period of time when their brains weren’t fully formed, they learned new things, had no curfews, had access to alcohol in a bathtub, and made new friends.
It’s cool to come back, reminisce, celebrate and feel the comfort of old places and faces.
There’s also nothing like coming home to make you realize how much you've grown or changed and what you truly value.
To come back to something also means you have to leave.
Have you ever left––a place, job, person, school, etc?
Maybe you left because it was time to go; you graduated, you were fired, the apartment building you lived in was sold. Maybe you left because of an internal shift or longing; you always wanted to live by the ocean, try a new job, or you were burned out and needed to take a break. Maybe you left your house today, because someone paid you to show up and work. There are a lot of reasons people leave things ranging from whiteknuckled fear to joyful celebration to the daily grind.
Leaving can hold a mix of feelings–dread, excitement, change.
Take a moment and think about one small thing you left TODAY. Check in with yourself when you think about what you left. How does it feel in your body? What emotions does it bring up, if any?
Now think of a time you left something in a big way. Pause. Breath into it. How does that feel in your system?
Some of you might have noticed big sensations and feelings while others might not have noticed much. Your response can also depend on the who or what you are leaving and where you are in that process.
The journey changes you.
And what you define as home changes.
Home can be a place, a person, a people––most importantly, yourself.
Take another moment. Close your eyes. Think of the words: home and return. Are there any people, places, or images that arise as you think of those sentiments? What does home feel like in your body? Really hone in. For example, does it feel warm, does it show up in your heart, is it longing, comfortable, etc?
Note what came up. Do you feel those sensations of being home in your own system? At home in your body? Your thoughts? Your perceptions of your life?
Is it time to leave and gain a little perspective? Leaving doesn’t have to mean quitting a job or leaving your family. I mean, it might, aaand, leaving might just mean taking a break from your regular schedule, visiting a new place, going to therapy to get a different perspective, or walking away from a behavior you've been repeating. I’d suggest trying those steps first, then by all means, do what you need to.
You might have already left and now it might be worth asking, “Have I been gone long enough and is it time to come back?”, “What do I want to come back to?”, or “How do I want to come back?”
Between now and the next newsletter, I invite you to focus on the theme of HOME and use these as journal or reflection prompts:
What does home mean to me at this point in my life?
Where am I at home in the different facets of my life?
What am I ready to leave?
What am I ready to return to?
How have I changed and grown?
My heartfelt thanks to you for being a community to come back home to and for sticking with me on my journeys. It feels good to be back in this space, redefining it, and integrating modalities in new ways in the years ahead. Some of you have been on this list for 10+ years and know I’ve been on a hiatus in certain areas of my work while honing in other skills. Some of you are new to this list. I haven’t talked to some of you in five years and some of you I’ve spent a lot of time with in the past few years. Somehow we’ve all found each other in this group.
Since I started my own business in 2009, it has always been my intention to be of service to whomever needs the work I offer and to bring healing to the greater good. The source-of-my-understanding has taken me on some journeys over these last thirteen years and yet I find myself back here––with the same soul, a few more life lessons, alotta skills, and a heart open to our collective journey ahead.
Stay tuned. I’ve got a few things headed your way to get you back to your Real Work practices and Our Real community.
Big love to you all,
Jess
PS- I’d love to hear what you’re coming back home to after these past few, and very strange, years. I’d also like to hear what you left. Most of all, what are you looking for on your current journey so I can weave that into the community offerings.
