Redefining Home
When you realize home isn't a structure anymore. But then, Where is Home?
MARY
1/13/20262 min read
October 17th
As three days have passed since we sold our home, we were struck with the realization that we no longer had a house to go to. Nowhere to call home. Nowhere to stay, that we owned. It is a strange feeling. For the last 25 years, when we finished our errands—shopping, going to the bank, buying supplies—we would go home, to our house. But today, and for the last three days, after completing our errands, we had no home to go to. Not anymore. Indeed a strange feeling.
For the first time, it struck us that we were now, technically, homeless. Not in a frightening way, but more of a pause—like driving up to an intersection, knowing you can’t go back, unsure of the road forward, and still aware there are other ways to go. Nowhere we have to be. So, the hotel, in that sense, was now our home.
We decided to stay at this particular hotel for one more night before heading east to Oklahoma. Why not leave today? Well, you see, many months ago, one of our favorite comedians was coming to our area. We debated whether we would even be in town when he performed, since we didn’t know if our house would sell by that date. After deciding to throw caution to the wind by selling our home without knowing exactly where we’d be in October, we decided to throw caution to the wind again and bought two tickets to his show. It felt like a fitting way to end our tenure in this town.
This comedian is known for his insight into human behavior and societal influences. We had watched excerpts of his routine online and enjoyed his humor, expressions, and interaction with the audience. We were excited to see him live. While his advertisements reflected a casual tone, his live performance revealed a vocabulary that felt more raw and repetitive. It made us pause and wonder—had our sense of humor changed over the years? Or are live performances simply more uncensored, more direct, perhaps more calculated for a mixed audience? Possibly.
We didn’t judge the performance itself. Instead, we found ourselves reflecting on how we have changed, and how time quietly reshapes what we find humorous and meaningful.
Nevertheless, we enjoyed the evening—and even more so, the conversation on the drive back to the hotel. Tomorrow would mark our first full day heading toward Oklahoma, so we settled in for a solid night’s sleep, ready to take on the next leg of our new adventure.
Reflection and Moving Forward
Home is more than a place.
Letting go of a physical home revealed how deeply routine and familiarity shape our sense of belonging—and how quickly that definition can change.Transitions create space for awareness.
This pause between where we were and where we’re going has invited reflection—on how we’ve changed, what we value now, and how open roads can still feel grounding.