Home…

For me home has always been a mixed bag of vagabond dreams laced with a profound desire to be securely rooted in one place.

At the tender age of eight, after my step-father passed away, my mother and I were removed from the house that was my prominent childhood home. Located in the neighborhood that – up until then –had been the breeding ground of my most impressionable childhood experiences, adventures, and imagination.

After that Mom and I became known as the gypsies of the family, moving about every two years or so. And, I developed a deep yearning for “place.”

One that wouldn’t be gone just as it became familiar and comfortable. One that couldn’t be taken from me by anyone else. One I wouldn’t be forced to leave when all I wanted to do was stay. A place of my own.

Yet, I also desired the luxury of freedom and adventure. The ability to come and go as I wished, with the knowledge that I had that secure place to return to.

As an adolescent and young adult, the moves continued. Sometimes they became more frequent, sometimes less. But they always came.

Early on in my career as a corporate executive, I found myself again moving about every two years. This time however it was different. It was of my own choosing to “rise on the corporate ladder.”  Life was busy, things moved fast, and I traveled a lot for work. The relocations were adventures rather than disruptions.

My last move landed me in New York City. The place I always dreamed of being. The consummate Jersey girl I envisioned coming to the big city someday to “be somebody.”

Which, I have. For the past twenty-one years – in the same apartment – I’ve become a New Yorker.

I’ve had two successful, careers, married the love of my life, who by the way is a native New Yorker. Built an abundant, vibrant (single and married) life full of fabulous friends, rich with memorable experiences and countless “New York” moments. All right in the heart of what I deem “one of the greatest world cities,” because in this city you can experience the world.

I’ve often quipped to my husband – usually in a low growl, through gridded teeth with a clenched fist…”I love this town even when I hate it!”

However, we’re now contemplating our next “place”. Possibly even leaving “the City.” Though not yet sure where it will be.

That uncertainty has conjured up a tinge of both the old yearning for security mixed with the desire for adventure.

They – whoever “they” are – say “Home is Where the Heart is.”

Well, for me my heart solidly resides wherever my husband is. So, wherever he is, is my home.

There’s no place like home.