Three days after arriving back home, still I haven’t unpacked, haven’t gone out, haven’t met anyone, and haven’t done anything productive—apart from replying to some emails that need to be replied, and meeting deadlines. I am that kind of person. After being surrounded by a lot of people or being on the road for a long time, constantly moving and bumping into others—I need my downtime. I need to recharge. I need a break.
I need to pause.
Do you need to be alone to recharge?
I’ve known some friends who can be on the road for what seems like an indefinite period, moving from one city to another every 3-4 days, then coming back home and heading out to see some friends directly from the airport. The next day, they would have had some meetings or meet-ups, attended events, edited pictures, and wrote some articles about their travels, went to the gym, unpacked, plus organized another trip.
I envy them.
I envy people who do not need downtime.
Those who live their lives like an Energizer bunny. They are so energized. So active. So unstoppable. It seems as if they could do so much in the first few days they came back from their traveling journeys, while here I am, still enjoying the feeling of not having to go anywhere or to do anything, savoring the privilege of being alone.
These past few days can be simply summarised into coffee – books – bed – movies – lunch – books – bed – coffee -movies – bed (insert ‘work’ only when really necessary—meaning, deadline is tomorrow).
This is how I recharge. To recover from travel-lag. To readjust the pace and pattern of my day. I live best the way I travel best: slowly.
There are 2 places I would dearly call home.
My real hometown in Bogor, and my adopted little town of Ubud.
Both are easy to navigate because each one is a donut: Bogor with the Botanical Garden to fill in the hole, and Ubud with its Monkey Forest.
Both are small towns (my boyfriend still finds it funny whenever I refer to Bogor, with a million people, as a small town) with access to networks, opportunities, and vibrant creative communities trying to make a difference. Only an hour away from Bogor, there’s Jakarta: the capital of all things shiny—while an hour or two away from Ubud, there’s Sanur and Seminyak: the hubs for any kind of jobs imaginable.
Both hometowns host loving friends and families (I once wrote that home is any place where you’ll be missed, while the boyfriend said that home is wherever your wi-fi connects automatically).
They are both small enough for you to bump into old friends (or exes!) in public events, restaurants, and coffee shops, but big enough should you want to exile yourself in the faraway villages or hide in the mountains. Nature provides plenty of breathing spaces not far from the center, and the arrays of mouth-watering street food deserve no such thing as a diet.
Nevertheless, the silent contentment of being home is simply that: being home.
To wake up on the same bed where you’ve cried yourself to sleep when you’re still an angsty teenager. To be surrounded by your overloaded bookshelves. To have your dog jumps on you because she wants to play. To talk to your Dad about how you’ve managed to float like a starfish in Raja Ampat.
To walk around the house with that old shirt and pants you’ve had since you were 17. To cook whatever you want because the kitchen utensils are all there, waiting to be put into good use. To create new therapeutic ointments with coconut oil and your growing collections of essential oils. To put your clay mask on and compress your eyes with slices of cucumbers.
To start your day with a set of routines you’ve developed throughout the years. To know what everything is for, where everything is stored, and how everything works.
To feel as if you can go anywhere, but at the same time not wanting to go somewhere else.
Probably, as much as it’s a convenient place, home is more of a feeling: about knowing that no matter how far you go, you’ll always find a place to go back to. About remembering your root and who you truly are. About being you when nobody’s noticing. It’s a feeling of knowing that you are free both to leave or to stay.
It’s about that yearning that keeps tugging on your heartstrings when you’re away.
Whatever that yearning is, it’s home.
50 Responses
Welcome home my dear!
terima kasih, atta! kamu sudah kembali ke ibukota? mari bersua! 😀
I always like coming home, because I know where everything is in the kitchen!
Hahahahah! Exactly! And you know exactly how long your oven would take to perfectly bake that cupcake! 😀
I used to work in an industry that was GoGoGo on the road 24/7!!! Then when that project was finished it was Dead Stop. Some people have trouble adjusting after having every waking hour planned and busy busy busy.
Like you I used to enjoy being home and hearing the mantle clock ticking. Thank you for an enjoyable post.
Thank you for leaving such a nostalgic comment! 🙂 True, when you’re in a line of work that allows you to travel often, the true ‘vacation’ is simply: staying at home! 🙂
Love it. I can relate to the “Unplugging” metaphor. I recently wrote a piece about being alone with yourself. I’d appreciate your feedback.
“I had to love myself, before I could truly love another.” – oh your mother is such a wise woman :’) It is funny how one must go on his own journey to really understand what that means.
Thank you.
You have a nice story…
Thank you! Aren’t we all? 😉
Makes me want to travel more and appreciate all aspects of the experience.
I think for me, these days, simply discovering the city by foot while unplugging is such a refreshing experience. Not checking Google Maps and let myself get lost, not asking friends on Facebook about where is the best coffee shop but simply entering one that tugs my heartstring, not updating social media but conversing with strangers. Then it seemed as if the clock is ticking much slower 🙂
This gives me so many feels <3 I'm leaving my home next year, and even though I'm excited about it, I know there would be times for me when I'd feel the same as you do.
Keep writing! 🙂
Ah! I do hope that you’ll find a little bit of home wherever you go 🙂 Good luck for your journey!
Thank you so much! 🙂
ahhh I want to go home and see my mom.. hug her tight, kiss her and soothe her anger because I let her miss me so much:)))
Jayo!
aaaaw, this is is sweet :’) indeed, absence makes the heart grow fonder. send my hugs to your Mom 🙂
geee thanks…!
I can totally relate to this blog. I love down time after traveling to recuperate and reconnect with myself. I like the way to describe home being a place that you are comfortable and familiar with and surrounded by love ones. During my down time, I like to journal, connect and refocus so that I am ready for the next task refreshed and renewed. Like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, “There is no place like home, there is no place like home, there is no place like home.”
Indeed. Sometimes, I think traveling expose us to so many things, and we simply need some down time to digest the experience. Some people digest is fast, some digest is slower.
There’s truly no place like home! I enjoyed reading your piece.
Thank you! Happy Sunday, and hope you’re enjoying a homy feeling today 🙂
I sure am. Thanks
Written with the honesty of the heart and so a pleasure to read and connect.
Aww, thanks so much :’)
Home is where the heart is
I loved this post and can really learn from it! Sometimes I run from one activity to another, knowing in the back of my mind that I should take a deep breath and not rush it. This post was an useful reminder to not just think it, but actually do it!
Great post, and I completely understand the need for downtime, and being at home. After traveling, I love to be at home where I am comfortable, in my space, and with my family. Some folks feed off of others’ energy. I, and it sounds like you as well, find joy and feed my soul through quiet, contentment, and surrounded by the comfort of home.
Home is where the heart is …
Ditto – I love going away, but no bed compares to our (awesome memory foam) one and having a never ending supply of fruit, biscuits and decent tea make home an awesome place.
Very nice read and welcome home.
Quality post!
coming home is a feeling always loved by every human being..!!
i would like to share one my bird photography series on coming home..!!
Coming Home
Great content!
I am like you. I need downtime, people can be exhausting. I am sure that after a hefty week I will always have a downtime of a day!
PS: I loved your boyfriend’s definition of home.
I love this, and can totally relate. I need a seemingly infinite amount of downtime (also known as “me time” to my friends, lol) to recharge from the day. I’m currently crashing at my parents’ house and there’s a lot of nostalgia coming back… funnily enough, it doesn’t quite feel like “home” to me anymore, at least not right now.
But I do always appreciate having my own space — no matter how much teenage angst from 2003 comes seeping through the walls 😉
Thank you for this beautiful post! Glad to know someone else understands. 🙂
Love it! Wrote something similar about winding down in your own serene private space. Great article. 🙂
I totally understand the alone time ?? I enjoy my own company. My job requires me to be very sociable but at the end of the day – I sit alone for an hour with a coffee and my own thoughts recharging my batteries.
Interesting perspective. As much as I enjoy going out and about, and long for more adventure in my life right now, I still enjoy sitting and relaxing in the comfort of my own home.
A refreshing blog..and nostalgic note … quite felt as if… Seeing a movie.. ???
I’m with you on this. I need to be away from people after a holiday and just enjoy a nice home cooked meal and not have to rush anywhere
Home is the best place for me. Wonderful piece!
Sangat suka this post! You’ve captured really nicely how I (and many others) feel about home. I’m back at my parent’s house and I still consider it home and guess what? I haven’t gone out in like 4 days; content with cooking, watching shows on Netflix, spring cleaning my room and just talking with my parents. We’re fortunate to have identified where our homes are, where we feel comfortable and content. Glad you have your homes where you feel free and complete =)
Really touching to know about your experiences! Keep it up!!
this was so beautifully written, and i completely relate to the need to re-charge. i wish it were easier being around people for a long period of time, but some of us need to enjoy solitude for a while to gather enough energy to keep going! 🙂
I was browsing and came across the great photos that you posted. I am yet to call a place my home, because I have been shunting from place to place for the past year. I envy you that you have a ‘home’, God bless!
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So true and recognizable!
home is a feeling. true that.
some people lived for years and years searching for that special place. they go to all beautiful places, they tried all things new and different, but none seemed to anchor them at all. they are like kites dancing in the hurricane. quote james bond.
everyday sometimes feel either like a new beginning or an endless journey that begin to take its toll. when all you wanted was just to close your eyes and make berth but the stars in the night sky was just too beautiful to close your eyes against.
that’s when you realise your soul has aged a little quicker. tire a little more.
and just when you thought you are doomed to drift away into the unknown like sputnik forever lost in a beautiful space, you found someone. who took one look at you and immediately know you. from a life that you could not remember. speaks a language that only you could understand.
home is a feeling.
when you look into their eyes.
and feel safe no matter where you are.
Yes, home is so important to me. I really need to be alone (or with my partner) and I always need to time to recharge, even if it’s after coming home from a long day of work. I get overstimulated and need certain comforts. Thanks for the interesting perspective/blog post!