Finding Comfort in the Feeling of Home: Why We All Crave Familiar Spaces and People

The rain pours down steadily outside my mom’s porch door. I watch as it pools and reflects the bright gray light from the clouds, which are constantly shifting. The sound soothes my soul as I sip from a cup of my parents' favorite coffee, its familiar scent wrapping around me.

Longing for Home and Comfort

I’ve been wanting to visit home for a long time. My busy schedule has kept me from making the trip and getting real quality time, but my heart has been longing for it. I’m a grown woman with a house full of my own family, yet even I need to come home every once in a while. I love being there—the smell, the coziness, the “laugh so hard we cry” conversations with my mom. And whenever I’m looking for something, she knows exactly what I’m after. She even anticipates my snacks and gets them out of the cupboard for me. To be known like that is a beautiful thing.

The Power of Familiar Places

Isn’t it interesting? There’s always this longing for home. Or, I think, the idea of feeling at home. There are people I feel ‘at home’ with too—the ones who know me so well they don’t ask for water; they just walk into the kitchen and help themselves. Because they’re at home with me too.

A recent visit to my best friend from high school in California reminded me of that feeling. Spending time with her and being around her family—whom I adore and feel so comfortable with—was like a little slice of home for my heart. Realizing we kind of live the same way, eat at the same times, and indulge in the same things was comforting. It reminded me that I’m not alone in all of my both wonderful and quirky ways.

Finding Home in Different Places

To a degree, I even feel at home when I walk into the community theater I’m involved with. The old scent of the building, the ugly green room where we all get ready, and the familiar faces that often grace the stage or the boardroom—they bring back good memories and a sense of belonging. It’s like, “I know this place…this is one of my homes.”

The Comfort of Home vs. FOMO

I was listening to a podcast the other day between two best friends, and the question came up, “Do you have FOMO?”—fear of missing out. The best answer came from the introverted friend who said, “No, I don’t have FOMO the way a regular person does. I have FOMO for my home. When I’m out and about, I’m missing my home.”

I thought that was both hilarious and striking. Are we all always longing to feel at home?

The Cozy Feeling of Home During Rainy Days

I don’t know why, but there’s something about the constant sound of rain outside my window, the overcast sky, and the drooping trees that whisper, “Stay home.” In that, I find coziness and a sense of rest. It’s a little bit of, “Go slow, take a break, light a candle, enjoy home…”

Could it be because everywhere I’ve been, there’s always been a downpour at some point? And no matter where I’m living, I feel the same way during those times—the rain makes me want to stay in, snuggle up, light a candle, and enjoy the natural ambiance. Or is it the earth’s way of telling us all to take a deep breath? “I’ll water all the things, so don’t worry. Just rest, because I’m taking care of this home. You’re at home with me.”

Bringing the Feeling of Home to Yourself

I wonder, do you long for a ‘home’ feeling too?

Who makes you feel the most at home?

What places feel like home to you?

My hope is that you find small things that you can do to bring that feeling of home to your sweet deserving self. And that you close this month well, with grace, comfort and reflection.

happy end of September…

xo

Jenna