The Essence of Home

The home we will leave this week ceased to be ours when I removed our personal mementos and created a space where others could see themselves living a new chapter of their lives here. This stage of saying farewell to the past is one of the few times in life you can actually see transitions.

Most transitions are silent and subtle. They create conflicts as we choose the elements of our life composition to move forward. You read something, consider it, meet someone new, and begin a creative editing process. You look more critically at possessions, friendships, values, and the life you composed reflected in the place you called home.

We do this throughout our life, from our childhood bedrooms, dorm rooms, and first apartments. The presence or absence of the things we bring forward, in material and in spirit, becomes the canvas of this life season.

As I pass on the keys, I realize a home’s essence surpasses its physical form, living in shared memories and transformative moments. Letting go isn’t just relinquishing ownership, but an invitation for others to inscribe their stories while continuing our ongoing narrative of who we are and aspire to be.