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“Anybody who wanders around the world saying, ‘Hell yes, I’m from Texas,’ deserves whatever happens to him.” ~ Hunter S. Thompson

I was born and raised in Texas and there’s plenty to be proud of in saying that.

Heck, there’s Willie Nelson, Janis Joplin, bluebonnets, Tex-Mex cuisine, cowboy boots, rodeos, Championship football, and Ann Richards.

That being said, nowadays, there are also lots of reasons to be ashamed. Current Texas politics alone is enough to keep me from admitting that I called Texas home for most of my life.

I haven’t had a physical home there in years and I only recently let go of my attachment to my Texas driver’s license and voter’s registration. My journeys have allowed me to have homes in amazing places like Alaska, Colorado, and Wyoming. I am officially a Californian now, and after some convincing from my daughter, I have given up my allegiance to the Houston Texans and become an avid Los Angeles Rams fan. That wasn’t too difficult as it is always easier to back a winner!

This recent move has left me a little confused as to what I should now call “home.”

“Home is where the heart is.” ~ J.T. Bickford

It seems a little more complicated than that though. If I am hungry, my heart—and my taste buds—will long for the spicy cheesy flavors that only Tex-Mex can satisfy. If my heart is yearning for excitement and entertainment, California is definitely home to all the celebrities, movie sets, theme parks, and shopping a girl could ask for. When my heart seeks beauty nothing can inspire me like the majestic mountains of Alaska, Colorado, or Wyoming.

I always dreamed of having a home in all my favorite places so that I could spend time in each one whenever I needed that special “something” that my memory told me each locale could provide.

“Perhaps home is not a place, but simply an irrevocable condition.” ~ James Baldwin

Yes! Home is not a physical place but a space that holds our memories. I can smell the chili powder and roasted peppers just thinking about Texas. It is a source of great pleasure to recall my adrenaline rushing as I feel the wind against my face on the Magic Mountain rollercoaster. There is a quiet sense of peace as I meditate on memories of the sounds of the spring thaw and the bluebirds singing while I relax on the banks of a Rocky Mountain stream.

Home is that irrevocable condition that allows us to recall the best of our lives and the desire to experience these things anew.

My current home is a renovated garage just a few steps away from the loves of my life—my daughter, son-in-law, and two precious grandchildren. Being able to witness them creating their own special memories of what will define home for them is definitely where my heart is at this moment.

“There’s no place like home.” ~ Dorothy