A Different Way Home

I didn’t really get to know my Papa. He passed away when I was three years old from a heart attack. He was in the barn doing chores when it happened.

I have one vivid memory with him. He called me “Curly top”. I have always had bouncy wild curls on my head and so did he. So, we got to be “Curly tops” together. In this brief memory, he rustled my curls, said “Hey Curly Top!” and then walked away in his dusty overalls and boots.

While I’ve got just the one vivid memory of my own, I feel like I know my Papa through the stories and family lore that gets told on repeat. I’ve seen photos, home videos and get to know him through stories through the lens of my different family members.

Do you have anyone like that in your life? Someone you didn’t know well and at the same time, feel a deep knowing?

My Papa is famous for was his sayings and his character. As a farmer, he was fiercely loyal and adamant about treating animals well. He loved his family deeply. He believed in hard work and was connected to the earth in big ways.

One of the things he lived by was to always take a different way home than he came.

So, don’t take the same road home that you took on the way there. Take the adventurous way! Take a new path. You never know what you may find, stumble upon or be opened to with the novelty.

This has been on my mind lately in many ways.

I am a creature of habit. I have routines, systems, routes and ways of being that are efficient, stand the test of time and work for me in all aspects of my life.

These are finely tuned ecosystems that I’ve spent years cultivating. They set me up for success. They delete decision fatigue. They are what has led to so much love, abundance and true fulfillment. I think of these ecosystems as supportive beams that hold up a house of dreams.

At the very same time, sometimes things need to be shaken up.

If I never ventured out to try sushi for the first time, I would not know that I’m obsessed with it! I would have no idea!

If I never took a different route home on my bike, I would never have discovered the beautiful murals that live on other streets in Uptown or I may never have bumped into that person who became a lifelong friend.

Had I not taken a different path on the way home, I may have missed the sunset that echoed purples, oranges and pinks onto my skin and into my heart.

My Papa was really on to something with “a different way home”.

To me this uncomfortable most of the time. I find solace in the mundane routines I can rely on. And yet, these deep grooves can be expressed at stagnation, inflexibility and give me blinders I’d rather not have.

Yet again, this path of conscious living provides an opportunity to practice BOTH. It’s where discomfort means growth, not being unsafe or in peril - a delicate discernment to attain.

Can finely honed habits and routines co-exist alongside “a different way home”?

Absolutely. It’s the blend of adventure, sparkly spirit, grounding ritual and efficient action.

It’s the beautiful colors that can paint a full, unique, vibrant and stunning life.

Not only does “a different way home” apply to physical movement, routing and experiences in life, I am struck by its application to meditation and mindfulness.

Turns out, just because one has been returning “home” to themselves in a certain way doesn’t mean it’s the most loving, helpful or authentic way for them. Are there different ways? Ones that maybe just have yet to be encountered, experienced and embodied?

To me, a different way home is the definition of yoga, the definition of meditation and the definition of conscious living.

In mindfulness and meditation, the name of the game is to notice and love oneself through the process of coming back to themselves. The higher self, the core, really whatever feels and is resonate to each individual.

It’s not about not having thoughts! It’s not about perfection! (A myth in itself) It’s not about arrival!

It’s a practice. A practice of noticing when you’re off the path you’d like to be on, noticing without judgement or a story attached, and welcoming yourself back to your center.

Here is the route many people take home to themselves:

“Oh shit, I’m in a thought spiral!”

“How could you do this AGAIN?”

“Breathe, breathe, silence your thoughts! Bad!”

“What is wrong with me?!”

“Is it just me?!”

“I suck at meditation.”

“I suck.”

The internal dialogue can be straight up aggressive, combative and full of put downs. While it’s an overly used phrase, it is for a reason. We are our own worst critic.

Many of us think and say things to ourselves that we wouldn’t dream of saying to a friend or even a stranger. Upon noticing, the route usually taken home to ourselves is one full of self-abuse, harmful self-talk, blows to the soul and a rap sheet of everything that is wrong with us.

I took this way for decades. It did not feel good.

This groove is deeply carved in the psyches and hearts of many. This is the way many people take home to themselves. The habit tends to be one of self loathing and punishment.

Today, I invite you to take a different way home to yourself. Take a left at the blue house, instead of a right. Travel by bike instead of car. Take the dirt road full of rolling hills instead of the downtown street with potholes galore.

Take the road of love.

Whenever you notice a thought pattern, what would it be like to simply notice it? Can you watch it float by?

In meditation, when you want to return home, what would it be like to welcome yourself with loving arms? Noticing in itself is a huge win. Can you honor and love yourself for that?

In a conversation, internal or external, when you notice yourself in fear rather than love, can you say “Hi, I love you, I’ve got you.” to yourself? And then, gently steer yourself back to your center?

This is a different way home.

One of love, truth and deep care of yourself.

One that you’re worthy of.

One that when taken, echoes out to every person, every experience and every moment of your life.

A different way home.

 A profound practice.

A worthwhile addition.

A loving opening home both on the road in your physical life and the one within yourself.

Are you interested in exploring the practice of “A different way home” through mindfulness? It’s my greatest joy and life’s work to share this way of being with others so they can fully live the life they desire. I offer this through Mindful Music piano lessons, 1:1 yoga, 1:1 meditation and 1:1 conscious creation coaching.

Reach out to me here for details on how we can work together and be well on your way to embodying this for yourself.

Believing in you and taking a different way home with you, 

⭐️ Adrienne