The Places I Call Home

Each one nurtures and supports me

I grew up in a beautiful part of the United States. Filled with rolling hills, lots of parks, streams to catch crayfish, and woods to go exploring, Bucks County Pennsylvania was the place I called home. Even though in 1993 I moved to Florida, it was my birthplace and will forever be in my heart.

What I have realized over the years is that the word home can be synonymous with any place that helps me grow, be myself, and allow me to have connections with other people. Home is any place where I feel comfortable and at peace. It’s a place where I can be myself and relax. It’s where I feel safe to take healthy risks and become the person I was meant to be.

Today, there are many places that I call home. There is the beautiful home I reside in with my wife, the schools where I teach my wonderful students, my wonderful spiritual home Unity on the Bay, diving with my friends in the dive club, and the amazingly creative people in my writing community.

I feel at home in these places because they help me to feel grounded. They are where I am learning to be myself, and where I feel immense joy.

In my world, there is nothing more important to me than feeling safe. If I don’t feel safe, I will not express who I am, I won’t take any personal or professional risks, and I won’t be able to connect with other people.

Allow me to tell you about some of the places I call home.

I feel at home with my wife Rachel, because she gives me the freedom to be happy, sad, fearful, relaxed, stressed out, serene, angry, or playful. All parts of myself are welcome in our relationship. It’s a place of refuge, where I can be the authentic me. I’m grateful for that. I’m also eternally grateful to live in a beautiful community that is full of wonderful people.

I feel at home teaching my music students because they give me the opportunity to give back what has been so generously given to me. When I teach, I’m teaching them how to play their instruments correctly. And I’m also teaching them many other life skills. Skills like how to get along with other people, how to feel good about who they are, and to view art as a necessary part of life.

I’m grateful for my spiritual home Unity on the Bay in Miami. I’ve been attending ever since my wife brought me to my first service in 2010. From the moment I walked in the door, I felt at home. It has been the place where I found a loving God. It’s also the first spiritual community that I feel safe in. I can bring my fears, my joy, my laughter, and my tears, and let people know who I am. That’s amazing to me. I will be forever grateful for that.

Another place I feel at home is my dive club Active Divers Association. I joined this wonderful association in 2012 and have been all over the Caribbean with these amazing people. I have overcome many fears and made many friends here.

Diving requires trust, and I’m grateful that I have learned to trust life more due to the things I have learned in diving. My wife Rachel taught me nearly everything I know about diving. She continues to inspire me as I continue to learn more about this wonderful sport. The ocean has become a safe home. I will be forever grateful for that.

I also want to thank my writer friends who always make me feel at home. I have been involved in the writing community for only four years. In this very short period, I have received much inspiration to allow my creative self to flourish. My life is blessed because of the friends I have met. Sitting in front of my computer, I feel at home. I have the freedom to be myself. This is a gift I intend to continue to nurture.

Lastly, I want to thank you, my readers. You are a gift to me. Every time you respond to something I’ve written, give me some encouragement or give me a new way of looking at something I grow. You make me feel at home because you support my desire to be a better writer and a better human being.

These are some of the places I call home. When I’m in the company of these wonderful people I feel grounded and safe. I will be forever grateful for the positive contributions they make to my life.

Essay by John C. Davis © 2021 All Rights Reserved