Hi reader,

Before anything else, thank you to the ones who have always been the active readers of this blog, and share their views and feedback. Many people have liked the last blog so much, that they say it is the best till now, and also how the writing style has been changed, being more structured and clear. All this could have been only because of this consistent feedback from you all, so a big thanks to all of you, and keep pouring in! :)

Now, before I could begin to talk about this word “HOME”, I want you to take a pause here, and just think or define this word called, HOME. What is it that comes to your mind, when you speak or hear the word “HOME”? Is it some people, or something from your room, or your house or the locality, or the friends, or what? Take a moment, and think!

Hmm, like always, haven’t thought and just came here right? No, go for it, and think…

Okay, if you have thought, then do share in the comments, what is it? And for those who haven’t, well let’s get going. I am not a good binge-watcher, and it takes a lot of tolls for me to complete a series or a movie (Completely not a Netflix and Chill person), but recently I started a new series, and this blog, is mainly inspired by what I saw in it. There is this series called, Chesapeake Shores. The story whirls around the O’briens family, which has several characters, precisely, five siblings with their ex/current partners, separated parents, grandmother (personal fav character), and kids of one of the siblings. The story talks about the different challenges faced by each of the characters, living solo in different parts of the country, and how it eases and starts resolving when they all return to their hometown and start living together at home! If you got time and patience, and in the mood to watch something slow and good, my recommendation! 

Now coming back to the topic, Home, not sure what all you have thought about it, but what it means to me is… “Home is where the heart is!”. Many of my peers know, that I intentionally dropped to go out of the country, to settle abroad. Because, on returning from a very hectic day at work back to home, having that delicious home-cooked food is priceless and so comforting that it couldn’t be paid by those lucrative perks. This is one example! 

Another reason is the strong bond and relationship one holds with the people at home. It can be with family members, friends, neighbors, or even the local shopkeepers. When you are home, even your mind knows that everything is sorted and in place. You know where to go for groceries, where to go for a haircut, where to go for good food, where to go for a good walk, where or what to do to relax, where to go for revisiting memories, and so on. 

But the most important thing, the people at Home. These are the ones, who have always been there for you, who will always be there for you till eternity, who has been with all your ups and downs, who celebrate your success, and cheer you up when you fail. I still remember, when my father surprised me with pastries on my work anniversary. A small act, but will remain in memory for lifelong. These small acts are the ones that stay in your heart and hold your heart. This is why for me, home is where the heart is. On the same note, here is something I found somewhere:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CWYMNoeLz3V/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Recently, I was out having dinner at a decent family restaurant (and not a boutique classy cafe or something). People who know me, know how much I love to visit cafes, but sometimes you are at the right places to notice something that makes a mark in the memory! The key difference between a boutique cafe and a family restaurant is, in a family restaurant, people visit with those who they think and believe is their family, to celebrate small moments, while at cafes, at times it is more of faking things up (like the accent, the eating habits, the smile, all just Instagram stuff!).

Just as an example, I noticed a mother with her two sons, having dinner, where one of the sons, who I think recently got his first job, and was bringing different cuisines for his mother to try, and kept asking which one she liked more. Not to compare, but the other day, I was at a cafe, where a group of cousins was planning a wedding with a planner, who were showing all the decor styles and food and events on their tablet, and all the conversation between the cousins and the planner sounded so fake (fake accent, fake promises, fake interests), that one could just feel it in the air. The difference between the two is huge that it just can not be ignored, no?

Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in.

Robert Frost

This difference is what, Home brings in life. You know it when you are in trouble, you may not find the solution but you will find comfort at that one place/person/experience, called home. Even in music, if you listen to any of the classical music pieces, you will notice how going through the different phases of the music, traveling from the different notes of the scale, hitting different emotions of the listener with different chords, the composer returns to the root, and it feels home. 

To our future generation, many of my peers right now, are just hustling around in their life. Rather than listening to their heart, they are more of following the herd and are just lost unaware of what they want and what they need. Some are settling abroad when they have everything settled up here, few are running after lucrative perks, few are following their passion, and much more. I just have one question for them as well as you, Can those beautiful scenic city nightlife pictures of developed nations or the big numbers on your paycheck, can beat the taste of your favorite dish cooked by your mom, every other day? Can all those Instagram lifestyles beat the comfort of sitting in the quilt and having tea and snacks with the family at home? Can you find a better photographer in that life than your father?

There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort.

Jane Austen

Cheers!
– Navneet