Dive deeper into … home

Let’s dive deeper into something we’ve all had experience with – good or bad.

Home.

I’ve been thinking a lot about home as a construct, and it’s such an emotive one.

For many people, the word home brings to mind the feeling of safety and security; warmth or connection. For others, the word home reignites long buried hurts or transgressions; fractures in self-esteem or relationships.

A lot of power is wielded by four letters. It’s probably the most power wielded by four letters since the Apostle Paul dropped off some correspondence at the post office to his friends in Galatia, Ephesus and Corinth.

The concept of home has changed over the years as well. We know of the phrase “home is where the heart is.” And while that’s somewhat overdone, in thinking deeper about that phrase, I’ve realized just how much it’s changed.

I saw a t-shirt the other day that said “home is where the Internet connects automatically.” To me, that illustrates the change. It used to be that home was where your heart was, and that brought with it emotions of belonging. But more and more people now see home as where the services are and are based on what we can get out of it.

If you think deeper about home and how people relate to it, you can see changes over time.  This is how I’ve reflected on it.

You see, in the 1950s, pre-television, home was where the heart is. That’s the era I think of when it comes to that phrase.

In the 1960s, home was where parents started to tell the Baby Boomers to turn down their music.

In the 70s, home became a place for the family to watch TV together. To be physically together, but all looking in the same direction, not at each other.

In the 80s – my era – home was a place to crash after you’d danced all night to Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet or Van Halen. Or you had a crashpad to recharge before another headlong dive into capitalism as you tried to earn as much money as possible.

In the 1990s, home became more split, as single parent families became more prominent or noticeable. They’d always been there, but suddenly kids were known to have two homes – where Mom lived, and visiting Dad on the weekends.

The turn of the millennium became the catchcry of “home is where the Internet connects automatically.” That t-shirt was right. We know we’re home because everything just works.

And in the 2010s, home for many people is online, where their friends – wherever they may be on the planet – are on the screen. So even when they’re home physically, mentally and emotionally they’re in social media.

So that’s what I’ve uncovered in my thinking deeper about home.

So what you? What does home mean to you? Is it where your heart is or is it a place to crash after you’ve taken on life head-on?

Or is it the place where what you need is exactly where you need it to be?

Let me know.

Let met me know. I’d love to know what you think.