the meaning of home

I’ve been away from San Francisco for exactly 11 days. Around day 4 or 5, I started to feel that yearning for the life I left behind while I jetted off to work on a dream project. My pets, my bed, my favorite park… even my favorite coffee stand. I’ve only been in San Francisco for about 6 or 7 months, but it’s strange to think how quickly it’s become ‘home’ to me. I didn’t move there with thought that it was a permanent move, but every time I leave, I ache for it. The strangest part is that I’ve always considered Seattle to be my true home. Yes, I only lived there for 2 years and, yes, I grew up in Maryland, but there has always been something that spoke to me about Seattle. For some fairly illogical and overly sensitive reasons (namely, a break up), I don’t feel like I can go back. At least, not yet. So I guess that partly plays into my surprise over how much I miss SF today. This leaves me wondering if there’s a sense of temporary home, sort of where you miss a place, but know it’s not the place. Or is it just that I miss my apartment, my things? I can’t really decide.

So tell me, what’s your meaning of home?

photography by Jojotastic

Behind The Blog

Joanna Hawley-McBride is a Pacific Northwest-based social media strategist, content creator, and former textile designer. Joanna is the founder and editor-in-chief of Jojotastic, a lifestyle blog focused on Joanna’s work-in-progress cabin, finding the best pair of underwear through #UnderwearThesis, and empowering women to explore nature — all in her signature unfiltered style. Her work has been featured in Domino, CNBC, and Eating Well.

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3 Comments

  1. 8.22.14
    Kate Ramos said:

    This is such an interesting idea. My biggest dilemma is that I’ve never felt at home, anywhere. I feel like I’m constantly searching for the perfect place, but maybe it doesn’t exist for me.

    • 8.22.14
      joanna said:

      i felt like that for a long, long time. and even though i have a place that feels ‘home-ish’ i still question if it’s THE one for me.

      thanks so much for your health felt words. good to know i’m not alone out there.

  2. 8.18.14
    Sarah said:

    I’ve thought about this a lot over the past few years, especially as we were subletting in every damn neighborhood in Philly, waiting for your rehab to be complete. Before that, I felt conflicted about referring to my parents house as “home.” Yes, I grew up there, but I haven’t lived there for a decade. It’s taken about 3 years, but my little northern liberties row home finally feels like home. As long as it took to get us in there, and the many moves we endured to make it happen, I think we just might stay forever ;)