Estimated Reading Time 4 Minutes
Hey You! Welcome back to The Vibrant Life Podcast. I’m Emily Romrell and I’m so happy you’re here with me today. I’ve had a great week and I hope you have enjoyed the last few days too. The main reason I’m doing so well is that I’m currently visiting my Grandmother on the family farm in Idaho. It’s been a good while since I’ve visited for a whole week and it’s been wonderful to dive into some deeper conversations with my grandma, spend some quality time with my parents, and rediscover some of my favorite places.
I told a friend recently that I would be coming out to the farm and as I explained to her, I’m not really a farm girl. I live in Orem, UT which is all about the suburban/ city life and is getting busier all the time. But I definitely have some deep country roots, and it’s been heaven to spend a few days soaking up the quiet life here. I lived on the farm until I was five when we came to Utah and my dad went back to school. My earliest memories are here. This is one of the places that define me.
The title of the podcast is There Are Places I’ll Remember and I want to spend a few minutes thinking about those special places that are individually so special to each of us and help make us who we are. Because humans have an extraordinary relationship with their surroundings. We rub off on each other. I wonder if we realize just how mutually we impact our environment and these places impact us. It saddens me to think of how poorly we’ve treated the planet in general, but I am also inspired by the efforts of so many people to take care of and beautify their own areas of influence.
If you know me, you know I love The Beatles. One of my all-time favorite songs is In My Life. I love this song so much that I have a big poster with the lyrics hanging in my kitchen. I’m extremely nostalgic and this song gives me all the feels. Listen to these first few words that express how I feel so well:
There are places I’ll remember
All my life though some have changed
Some forever, not for better
Some have gone and some remain
All these places have their moments
With lovers and friends I still can recall
Some are dead and some are living
In my life I’ve loved them all.
Can you remember a favorite place you loved as a child? Do you have a favorite place now? I think there is magic in making a space your own. Whether you’re a little kid filling your room up with simple treasures or you are an adult creating a beautiful place to live, that’s what a home is all about, right? In the truest sense, a home isn’t a roof over your head, it’s the place you love best and that synergistically becomes better and betters you because of that love. Home is where the heart is.
Another song I really like is The House That Built Me by Miranda Lambert. My Uncle Andy used to sing it a lot before he passed away and like a magic spell this song kind of rubbed off on me. It’s about a woman who is struggling and feeling lost in her life so she goes back to visit her childhood home which is now owned by strangers. I just want to read the chorus to you:
I thought if I could touch this place or feel it
This brokenness inside me might start healing
Out here, it’s like I’m someone else
I thought that maybe I could find myself
If I could just come in, I swear I’ll leave
Won’t take nothin’ but a memory
From the house that built me.
I’ll say it again, our favorite places leave lasting impressions on us. And just think of how diverse and how many different types of homes there are. There are as many kinds of homes out there as there are people to live in them. I also think it’s a mistake to think a bigger house is always better. If you want a big house, more power to ya, but the most important qualifier in my mind is again that your home is the place you love best and shared with the people you love best. And while this episode is all about the special places in our lives, sometimes home isn’t a place. Sometimes it’s a person or people. And that’s just fine.
So my friends, what are you doing to create the home you really love? That’s the question I want you to ponder today. Are you keeping it clean. Are you making it your own with artwork and decor that reflects your personal style? Are you filling it with happy memories?
Also, are you celebrating all of the important places in your life? Maybe if you can, take a trip back to some of those childhood places you loved. Or simply go to some of your favorite places now and appreciate them a little more. It doesn’t have to be a home. Maybe you love going to the movies, or the park, or in a boat out on the water. I believe that this world was created for us to love and enjoy. I hope you can find that love and joy in your surroundings.
Thanks for listening my friends. I hope you have a terrific week. Live the vibrant life!
