When I first read Dominique Browning's editorial Wandering, my first reaction was to ask myself why anyone would choose to be homeless.
As I read the editorial a second time, I realized that home can be a state of mind. We are at home in what we are doing, or where we are at the present time.
According to Webster's Dictionary the words "at home" means, "relaxed and comfortable", "at ease","in harmony with the surroundings", "on familiar ground", and "knowledgeable".
The dove mentioned in the first paragraph of the editorial made her home in the trellis on his balcony. This is probably where the dove felt safe and secure at the time. Next nesting season she may choose a new location that makes her feel the same way.
The wanderer in the story was at home in his wandering, doing good deeds for others in every place he went. He was at home in his wandering. But in the end the wanderer confesses to having a warehouse full of things he collected from every place he was. Even he had thoughts of putting down roots someday.
In conclusion, my thought is, that even though home may be where the heart is, we all dream of making a permanent home.
2 comments:
Or, perhaps, if he didn't want to make a personal home, perhaps it is in human nature to collect mementos that mean a lot to us. He felt secure in the ownership of THINGS. Maybe it isn't societal after all, to want to gather and collect. Maybe it is in our very nature.
But your theory is a good one, and most probably correct.
Good critical thinking skills there girl!!!
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