What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word “Home”?

Is it the place where you were born, where you spent your childhood?
Is it the country, the culture, the people around you?
Or is it the house where you keep your clothes, eat breakfast and have a shower?

We all have our own definition, but all of us has one thing in common:
That’s where our heart belongs.

My mom still didn’t get used to the thought that I moved.
Not because I’m not living with them anymore, but because I refer to this place as Home.
“Otthon”, we’d say in Hungarian.
It has a million meanings, but only one definition.

Yesterday a Life changing event occurred: I reached a new height on the ladder of adulthood and moved to a new apartment in a nice neighborhood. Before that, I was living in a pink room for 460 days in total.
Unicorn stickers, flowery wallpaper, Selena Gomez posters and princess kitty curtains.
Life on 9 square meters in such conditions might seem miserable, but to be honest, it was my Life’s happiest period.

That little space was a forge of beautiful dreams and wonderful adventures.
In that tiny room I’ve learned an entire language, started a Blog, read more than 30 books, found love, made thousands of euros, cried because of sadness or joy, and conquered every challenge Life has [so far] thrown.

It was the place I called home – the smallest box, where the whole Universe could fit into.

I’m telling you this because once you get to see how wonderful Life becomes when you choose to follow your heart, it won’t matter anymore what kind of challenges you’ll have to go through.
Even if Miley Cyrus stares at you from a poster glued to the wardrobe, you’ll still feel a kind of fire you’ve never had burning within you.

The passion to do what your heart has told.

While I’m writing this post, I’m sitting on our balcony with a warm cup of tea next to my laptop, listening to the birds in the morning cold, wrapped into a soft blanket like a taco and watching the sun rise on the horizon.
No more princess kittens in front of the window.
And it only took 461 days to get to this point.

Yesterday when the time came to leave the house, I felt a little anxious.
I was excited, but also a bit nervous.

It took 5 hours to put everything into a bag or a box, but only 5 minutes to put them in the car.
“That’s all?” The question echoed in my thoughts.
It was so fast, it felt like I didn’t even live there at all.
The next minute we were already on the way to my new home.
When I arrived, my friend greeted me with a heavenly apple pie his parents made the night before, at 11 ‘o clock. His father handpicked the apples in the dark with a headlight on, while his mom baked it to golden brown with a touch of cinnamon.
“Heerlijk!¹” – That was the only word I could think of.
I licked the whole plate off, leaving even a single crumb would’ve been an insult.

If happiness was a crime, I’d go to jail for who knows how long.

It wasn’t always like this of course, there were countless highs and lows, but what roller coaster would be fun if the rails were parallel to the ground? If not for the curves, Life would be dull.

Sometimes we forget it thought, but even a seemingly horrible decision can lead to incredible outcomes. The more you listen to your heart’s voice, the easier it’ll be to get through the obstacles.
It makes you stronger than you were before, better equipped to withstand even a tsunami or a typhoon.

From now on, I’ll have to learn how to cook for two, keep track of the items in the household, pay the bills, be more responsible.
When I came here a little more than a year ago, I spoke more languages than the amount of recipes I could cook, and I literally had to google which box should I pour in the washing machine fluid.
A kid wandering in the world of adults – it may feel harsh for a second, but growing up is beautiful.
Yesterday I almost burned my hair off when I lit up the stove and the gas blew into my eyebrows.

There is a lot to learn, a long way to go, but that’s what makes adulthood wonderful.
Step by step, you get better at figuring out Life’s puzzle.

There is one thing to never let go of though – the inner child’s endless curiosity; his desire to explore.
It doesn’t matter how old you are, there is always a way to follow that silly childish heart; filled with dreams bigger than the Burj khalifa.

You might have to endure sleeping under a blanket that has a mermaid on its top, calling you the queen of the stars, but one day you might just find yourself sitting on a broad balcony, soaking in the warm rays of the sun, and write about the crazy adventures you’ve had…

Because you dared to followed your heart.

Take care and shoot for the stars,
Erik

2020.04.26 – Day 461

[Dutch Dictionary]
Heerlijk¹ – Delightful / Delicious

To all of you who’ve made it this far, here is a little visual as a reward: