Friday, September 28, 2012

Home

I've been thinking a lot lately on what home actually means to me.  My town?  My country of birth?  My family?  Nostalgic memories of the past?  My current address?  Where my heart is (and just where might that be?)  Yes, all of that, but more than that.

I remember studying a poem in school years go, maybe when I was 11 or 12 years old, or perhaps just 10.  More accurately I remember just two lines of it:
    "home is the sailor home from the sea
      and the hunter home from the hill"
Those lines struck a cord with me years ago, and still do.  I googled them this morning and came up with two poets who included these lines in their poems.  A.E Housman, an English Classical scholar born is 1859, wrote 'Home is the Sailor', and Robert Louis Stevenson, the Scottish poet, wrote 'Requiem'.  I think it was the Stevenson version we studied, but its not really relevant.







I have traveled quite extensively and I'm not currently living in the country of my birth.  Each time I step on 'foreign' land I quickly begin noticing plants, rocks, trees etc which I believed indigenous to my birth country existing comfortably thousands of ocean miles away.  It was then I started realising that people are more similar than I'd imagined them to be also, and I could comfortably live is any one of these countries.  The boundaries in my mind began breaking down.

Now I feel 'home' is more of a concept than a place.  Home is where I find my nourishment, its more of a feeling than a place. 

I am very happy to call this Earth my home.


I'm linking this to Friday My Town Shoot Out!




12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Barb,
AWESOME PHOTOS! I agree that home is wherever we are. I used to say I was going home to Indiana for a visit. There I would say my home is San Diego so I concluded my home is where my heart is and where I feel comfortable and it has no outer limits. Because we have both traveled I think we have a different perspective from others. Wherever I was in the world was my home as I became one of the locals not just a tourist. I think we need to start a movement to have a World Passport because I am a citizen of the World, not just my little piece of terra firma here in the good ol USA.
K.

Jama said...

I love all your awesome photos!

DawnTreader said...

A beautiful take on the theme!

Cheryl Ann said...

Beautiful photos, again, Barb! Hey, I may be getting another shepherd today. A colleague has a tiny condo and can't keep her. I'm so nervous! I'll let you know...
~~Cheryl Ann~~

Unknown said...

A very creative and thought provoking post. Your photos are excellent and I like the idea of The Earth being home. Blessings.
QMM

Pauline said...

Barb, love the concept, love the images. I was surprised when I thought about it that 'home' was not my place/country of birth but where I now find my comfort. Love the thought of calling this earth my home!

Cheryl said...

I feel exactly the same way, Barb. I have the biggest and most beautiful home in the Universe.

Anonymous said...

BEAUTIFUL - THANK YOU - CHUCK

Anonymous said...

thanks for sharing this........you're not only a great photographer, but a great writer......i love your words, my dear..............and indeed...........home...............home should always raise up to greet us....wherever that shall be in any moment.........love the picture of the bridge...........could i use that someday for a CD cover?.........namaste, patti

Barb said...

Of course! A hi res pic is on it's way to you.

The Artful Diva said...

gorgeous photos and very thought provoking post.

Rambling Woods said...

I wanted to wish you a very Happy and Healthy New Year Barb..Michelle