Seeking Home
soul notes
When we reflect deeply and on the longing to create a place of home of our own, what is it we are truly longing for?
What is it we are actually longing for within ourselves that goes far beyond the idea of an external home or location in a certain location or place in the world?
If we reflect deeply on this, perhaps it is a sense of our own space, a place where we feel fully free to embody and express our true, authentic self.
It is also a peaceful and quiet sanctuary of rest and retreat away from the chaos of the outside world. It is a space to call our own. All too often, we project outside of us into the external environment what we hope and dream will create what we are most deeply longing for within.
With a home, we do this through seeking a certain place or design in a certain neighborhood. This comes with a mortgage. We arrive at this place only to discover that what we were longing for was an inside job all along, something intangible in this material world, perhaps an even deeper longing for a home we know as familiar, yet will never be fully realized here.
And yet, wherever we are, however modest our circumstances, we can create this sense of home, first within our own being, that sense of space no one can ever take away. We can begin by embodying those rituals of space that begin to surround our immediate environment with our own sacred touch points and symbols that create a sense of home, rest and sanctuary.
Once we come home to this place within ourselves, we will then be home anywhere we find ourselves in the world.
A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent upon arriving. A good artist lets his intuition lead him wherever it wants.
Zen and Ink Journals represents hundreds of hours of writing over the past decade, sometimes from a train in remote China or a coffee shop in Kyoto, a hammock in Costa Rica or a simple cabin on a mountain in Boquete, Panama.
Zen and Ink Journals is a simple offering of words in the hope of inspiring others to a simpler, more mindful way of life in these chaotic times. I invite you join me each month on the journey for a glimpse of the larger world, reflections on living more simply and quietly amidst the chaos of our modern world.
Please consider foregoing a cup of coffee each month and becoming a monthly subscriber.
If you would like to support Zen and Ink as a Founding Member or prefer a one-time Donation you may select the Founding Member option and enter any amount you choose. Please know your gift carries a ripple effect in the world and helps sustain the journey.
For more information and ways to connect with me, visit my website at Zen and Ink
Zen and Ink was born over a decade ago out of my own personal journey to find peace and tranquility amidst the ever-increasing chaos of our modern world. In the last ten years, the pace of our modern world has only accelerated and we have moved further out of sync with nature and the rhythm of our souls. Zen and Ink offers a quiet space for anyone along their journey seeking more balance and Zen in their daily lives.
Zen and Ink provides an oasis for those who are drawn to a slower and simpler way of life; to provide a portal for awakening, tools and resources that many will find useful in their own quest to find the Zen which is already there and always within and around each of us.
