Top 5: Things I Love About Being Home

The end of the week just gone marks 2 years since I packed up my little rental cottage in Ballarat, stuffed all of my belongings into a spare room at Mum's, and set out to roam free! I quit my "real" job, sold my car...and haven't looked back! I am loving this total freedom!

But being this free, and homeless, I do appreciate the comforts of home - being Mum's place - when I am back for a rest from my travels, from my current FIFO work, or from the buzz of city living and trying to find a place to sleep from one housesitting gig to the next.

1. I joke about coming home to provide "Mum Maintenance", meaning spending time with Mum to work on the bank of favours I frequently call on her for. But really, being away so often has made me appreciate just hanging with Mum, the banter, the silliness, the mutual support. It's so comforting to spend time with someone who has known me all my life, and with someone who has to love me unconditionally - regardless of my broke, or over-tired, or scattered, or irrational states!
2. I love being looked after for a little bit of time - having my meals thought out and prepared for me, having food in the cupboards all the time (it's always stocked as if there will never be another chance to go grocery shopping!), having access to a washing machine and someone who may remember to bring in the washing if it was about to rain, and just having a space to hang out, care free. Even though I am meant to be a grown up by now, I really long for some respite from looking after myself on occasion!
3. Being in my hometown for a few days also means that I know where everything is! I can visit old haunts and favourite places, such a sense of the familiar. It's comforting....for a little while!
4. A chance to walk around the lake, and take in life at home. I also love checking out the chances around the main streets - there is always a new store or cafe, a shop closed down, or something moved or changed to be something bigger or very different.
5. It doesn't take long for friends to notice I am home, from social media posts, and then invites for catch-ups come through - so lovely to have lunches, or brunches, or coffee and drinks with long time friends, that I don't get to see all the time, but in these rare times I am home. It's always like I have never left, and we pick up where we left off. Such special connections.

After a few days of rest, and being taken care of, I am now heading down to Melbourne to stay in an AirBnB apartment, in a new neighbourhood to me, to hang out and catch up with friends. A prefect respite plan!

This post has been written as part of the ProBlogger forum community challenge.