Homebodies in Motion

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Remember when homebody meant one thing? To stay at home, to nestle up, to hideaway. When I was younger, I used to call myself a homebody. In my mind it meant simply this: I like to be in the comforts of my room, with my toys, my dolls, my games. None of this 'outdoorsy' stuff. It actually wasn't until college that I learned to love the outdoors, the earth, the dirt. Now that I'm grown up and have my 'adult' apartment, I think of this word 'homebody.' In fact, I'd still use it to define myself. It still has that same meaning: luxuriating in my own cozy space, enjoying homey tasks (like baking, organizing, folding laundry), or feeling perfectly myself in that proverbial "room of one's own."

I strongly believe that 'homebody' doesn't mean the following: loner, introvert or lazybones. You can be a homebody and still be an adventurer, a traveling artist, a free spirit. You make your home, your home doesn't make you.

Let me tell you this: when I'm on a vacation and I know I'll be staying for a few days, the first thing I do is unpack. In a hotel, I make myself at home. Clothes on hangers, moisturizer in the bathroom, slippers by the bed. Even when I'm camping, I feel this urge to make myself at home. Once the tent is pitched at the campsite, I like to blow up the sleeping pad and roll out my sleeping bag right away. I will even set my book and headlamp next to the 'bed' just to make it that much more cozy. Once the stars come out and it's time for bed, I'll roll up my spare fleece and put it under my head, cause I know I'll want that little makeshift pillow for sleeping

There is the home you create, where you live, where you cook meals, where you invite your friends over. And then there is the home you seek and find through your journey. At this point, I can't tell the difference between your home and your getaway. Isn't that how it should be?

These are my thoughts for now. I suppose today's post is in honor of those cozy spaces, at home and elsewhere. I could say home is where the heart is, but that's not what I'm going for and as I write it, I don't even know what it means. Let's try this: home is where the You is, at your most loving, cozy, pure, and creative.


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Talk about homey! I love the rustic simplicity of this kitchen. Perfect for baking bread while listening to NPR on the radio.


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A vanity inspires us to keep beautiful the things that make us beautiful.


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This room takes the cozy cake. I mean, seriously? Where do I begin? The rug, the chairs, the couch. If rooms could speak, this one would say: What are you waiting for!? Snuggle in!

Now onto images that don't reflect the domestic gods or goddesses within, but inspire us to take the coziness with us everywhere we go.


photo by me

The Pelican Inn at Muir Beach. I've never stayed there but often fantasized about staying the night by myself, embarking on a self-guided "artist's retreat." I see the morning spent at a Green Gulch dharma talk, the afternoon reading on the beach, and then an early dinner at the Snug room, the cozy hotel pub.


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Another place I've never been: Treebones in Big Sur. This place has ocean-side yurts as well as coastal campsites. Imagine waking up to this view? Also, they boast a quite unusual accommodation: a human nest. See for yourself.


photo by me

My beloved Love Shack in Ojai. Such wonderful memories from this place! I hope to go back soon. It's a magical place to call home...even if just for a few days.


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Another beloved spot: The Pitcher Inn in Vermont's Mad River Valley. Each room has its own unique theme, such as Colonial, Mallard, and School. Whatever the season, this place is the coziest and could create a homebody out of the fiercest of nomads.

Now, tell me, what kind of a 'homebody' are you???