Where I'm At

Back Home.

     I'm trying to figure out where home is. (Where the heart is right?) I can't even count how many songs have been written on this subject, from Mozart, to Simon and Garfunkel, to Daughtry, home is a subject that makes for great song material. I've got a few homes now, and it's been interesting to see how my living outside of Meridian, Idaho has changed my perception of home, what it means, why we long for it, and it's effect on our lives.
      I've only lived there for about 8 weeks of my last 2-1/2 years but I can definitely still count Meridian, Idaho has my number one home. But my Parents moved to a new house in town while I was gone on my mission, and so It's no longer the same absolute that it was before. I drove by my old house this weekend. They have cats. For the 17 years we lived there we only had one cat, named Eliza and no one liked it. All it took was for it to pee in the Suburban and we got rid of it. Now I see two of them soaking in the sun in the windowsill. Isn't it odd that I lived there for 17 years and if I were to walk in there now I could be arrested for trespassing. They've only lived there a year and they can put cats in the windowsill.
     Don't let me fool you though into thinking I'm sad/angry about it. You could make a strong case for Nostalgic but not much more. One thing saved me though from that. When I first walked into our new house I took a big strong breath and the smell of the place brought me back home emotionally. I never knew what we smelled like, couldn't tell until I was gone for 2 years. But I recognize it now, and it's wonderful. It's odd because I've lived in my apartment here in Rexburg longer than I've ever lived at 2129 W. Astonte St. but only that house smells like home. I sure my old house just smells like cats and Californians now.
    But as much as Meridian is still home, there's not much there for me now outside of my family. Rexburg is where most of my current friends are now. My closest friends from childhood live in Colorado Springs and Seattle now. Rexburg is my main place of Residence. But I kind of feel outside of everything here, like everyone's in on a joke that I just don't get. Maybe I will get it, but I don't feel anything when I drive into Rexburg like I do when I drive to Boise.
     Of course, Arizona was my home for 2 years, and is still the state that I have my driver's license from. But when I visited there, as much as I loved it, and as much that state defines who I am today, I can't bring myself to define it as home. It very well could be in the future, but I wonder how many years away it would take for me to not count Meridian as home. More than 2 apparently. I don't know if I will be able to really call anywhere home until I get married and can put down some real roots somewhere. Until then though, I'm going to love this feeling of drifiting. I  need to see some things while I'm just a dandylion blowing in the wind. Tokyo? Prague? Istanbul? Maybe I could call one of those home someday. Until then though, 2129 W. Astonte St. my residence of 8 weeks is home.