When I was in college, my parents sold and moved out of my childhood home. At this point, I had been living at school most of the time, over every break. I came home one weekend and packed my stuff and said goodbye.
My childhood home hadn’t been my home for a long time. My room had been repainted and the whole place just held a lot of memories from my youth that I didn’t particularly enjoy especially after my high school boyfriend and I had just broken up. I was fine with leaving it all behind and I had found a new home at college.
And when my grandparents passed away, their house was torn down. I did one last walk through – but I wasn’t sad about saying goodbye to it. My grandparents weren’t there anymore and the last years they were there were painful and nothing at all like the memories I had created as a kid.
I walk into my other grandparent’s home and I still feel my home. I take deep breaths and try to hold on to the feeling there. But after they’re gone, I don’t think it will feel like anything at all.
Because I’ve always made homes out of people. My family grew out of our childhood home, we were located hours and plane rides away from each other and it wasn’t the home that kept us all together anymore. I feel at home with them, no matter where I am. And even at college, I tried to live in my house after everyone had left for summer and graduated – but the people were my home, not that house.
When I move out of a place (and I have moved out of quite a few places for a 25 year old), I stare at the empty rooms and I feel sad. But as soon as I am together with my people in my next new adventure, I don’t really feel a nostalgia or need to be back in that old place.
I have no attachment to where I am because no matter where I go I can visit one of those important people and feel at home again.

I understand what you mean, but for me, the attachment to the house is still very strong. I was born and raised in the house that my parents still live in. I spent 20 years of my life there and it always feels good to return to, even if my parents (for whatever reason) aren’t home. When I lived in my 1 bedroom apartment, I loved it! I had moved 200 miles away from my childhood home and made it my new home. When it was time to leave and move to a bigger place with my husband, it was hard for me to say goodbye.
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This post was actually inspired by a tweet by a person who felt the same as you. I feel like that is probably the more normal way to feel, I’m a bit of a drifter and just don’t make that sentimental connection.
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Well I’m also an interior designer at heart, so I put my roots down wherever I decorate to feel like home.
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I’m the worst! We have a lot hung up in our home but I still have things packed away/won’t buy new furniture because I’m anticipating the next move
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Maybe that’s part of it…
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Phew, for one terrible moment I thought you were going to say they packed up, moved out and didn’t tell you where they were going.
xxx Huge Hugs xxx
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Makes a lot of good sense. Great post!
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This is a good one. I understand completely what you mean.
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Yes yes yes, a home is truly where the heart is. ♡
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