Flat-Out Friday: Jiggity Jig

Home again, home again. Back in Alberta. Back to my own bed, my kitties, and my neighbourhood. Back to the same time zone as my husband. Back to a regular schedule. I'm back.

There is nothing quite like snuggling up in your own bed with your warm furry loved ones to cure a bout of loneliness. And yes, though visiting my parents is wonderful and I love being there, I don't sleep the same way and it's not home any more. Granted, I lived with them for several years before moving in with my knight in CadPat armour, so while I visit I use the same room, the same bathroom, the same bed... everything I'm used to. But there's always something missing. Even with their four dogs and two cats acting as surrogate furry loved ones, there's something missing.

This is where my parents live. Beautiful, but so different from my urban lifestyle.

Home is where everything that makes you you is. It's where you don't have to worry about eating the food in the fridge because it's yours, or worry that people won't like what you make for dinner because it's for yourself. It's where you don't mind being woken by animals because they're your animals and you know they'll go right back to bed with you once they've eaten. It's where your clothes are, your movies, and your shower with your towels. Hell, I even missed the Internet!

It has a certain smell, too. A smell that, no matter how dusty or strewn with cat hair it might be, when you step into your home you can't help but take a huge breath inward. A smell that instantly calms you, relaxes you, and tells you that you can take your pants off now if you want because you are in a sacred place, one where you both worship and are worshipped. A smell that tells your brain that you can stop sucking your gut in, it's okay to feel fat here, no one is going to judge you and you might even get told how beautiful you are.

Home is beautiful.

My cats are lounging close, not letting me out of their sight. Moriarty the fish has made his bubble nest again to welcome me home. My pants are off. I'm letting my tummy hang out. I'm probably going to hit the sack early, just because I can. And the internet, the wonderful internet, is here waiting for me when I wake up. Yep. Being home is just about perfect. All that's missing is one Matt-shaped loved one to hold me while I dream.