Welcome to my happy place

Home – a small word but a BIG meaning. To me, home is not a specific place or a destination but rather a feeling. My new place feels as bright and happy as I feel on the inside. It matches my energy and vibe.

Throughout most of my life, in the physical sense, I’ve never felt at home. I was ripped away from my homeland then lived in many foreign countries where I never had a sense of belonging. I forced a smile, tried to fit in and go along the herd. I looked outward, around me and beyond me for validation and permission but there was always this tug, this knowing that I am not going in the right direction. This confused me. I was following everyone and seemed to be doing what was expected of me. Yet, there was always this feeling of it not working out for me and that I don’t belong. Why did I feel so out of place? In such a fast paced and vastly large world, it is easy to feel a bit lost and confused. From the moment I wake up, I feel like I’m entering a tornado and being shoved out by the end of the day feeling disoriented and can’t seem to find my way to what should be home. Where is home anyways and how do you know when you’ve found it?

“Home is where our stories begin...our dreams begin...from a place of peace”

— Yasmine Wahab

As days passed, I dug deep and realized that my home (aka happy place) was within me the entire time. A place of peace, quiet, serenity, calm. That is what I’ve been searching for all along. I ran, I ran away from daily expectations, disappointments, should do’s and would be’s. I went back to myself, my foundation. Sometimes, life breaks us down so we can rebuild ourselves on an unshakable foundation. Take a moment and think about all the times that you broke, and you had to rebuild yourself back up. After all, life is a performance, who do you want to be? Think about that as you place each brick to rebuild yourself. Not out of spite or revenge but from a place of deep love for yourself and who you know you are. Embrace it with every brick. Be proud of it.

With the pandemic being far from over, this place has become my sanctuary for the world. It’s where I work, eat, cook, exercise and most importantly dream big. A place where it all starts. I have a feeling this new chapter will be a good one. A chapter where everything falls into place, visions become clearer and opportunities become endless.