I always say I leave a little piece of my heart in Scotland.
And when I go back, it’s like a little reunion with an old best friend. My heart becomes whole again, and that’s such a wonderful feeling.
Sarah here, for another one of my Message From Nature takeovers.
I’ve been frollicking around Scotland all month, and I just have so much to say… and of course, I wanted to share photos of coos (Scottish cows) with you! We always need more coos in our lives.
Here’s the thing: The place that you live is not always your heart home.
A heart home is the place where you feel whole. The place that lights you up. The place you instantly feel safe and happy in.
Sometimes your heart home is where you live (and that’s absolutely wonderful), but for many people their heart home is another place entirely.
For me it’s Scotland… Well, if we’re being specific, it’s Stirling, Scotland. (Peep this castle photo!)
The moment I land in Scotland, I immediately feel this strong sense of home. A place where I feel the most alive. I honestly feel like an entirely different person.
Something just clicks.
I have yet to find a part of Scotland I don’t like. I have places I like more than others, but I am always astounded by how beautiful, magnificent, and magical this country is.
The south has more historical aspects.
Edinburgh Castle, The Royal Mile, Stirling Castle, The Glasgow Necropolis, etc.
Personally, I love the historical aspects. I am a history buff, especially royalty and castles. I love the old architecture. The beauty and richness it holds.
The Highlands have richer landscapes.
Honestly, looking around the Highlands, it’s so beautiful it actually doesn’t look real. The hills are pastoral; they actually look like they were painted.
Taking the train through the Highlands is one of the most magical experiences I have ever had… and yes, you absolutely need to take a train up there. Trust me on this.
And just yesterday, we traveled to Inverness and then out to Loch Ness to spend time with some Highland Coos! Like I said… You always need more coos in your life.
So, how can you find your heart home?
Finding your heart home really isn’t as hard as you’d think. All you have to do is a little bit of introspection. Think of all of the places you have been in your life.
If you’ve traveled a fair bit, this will likely be fairly easy for you. Just imagine everything you have seen. What were some highlights for you? How did you feel as you stood there taking that in?
What are some things that you remember with fondness? Some sights that are forever ingrained in your mind? Maybe you took photos, and you constantly find yourself looking back with longing.
Out of everywhere you have gone, were there any places that you’d say were your favorite places? What places would you go back to again and again, and still never bore of seeing? What place did you go to where you actually grieved when it was time to leave?
Why did you love this particular place? What takes your breath away when you reminisce about it? What did you feel while you were there, and how do you feel about it when you’re at home? Do you think about it all the time, wishing you could go back?
If you can picture this place clearly, this might be your heart home. If you’ve traveled to this place more than once and felt this deep sense of wholeness or fullness, that’s how you know this is likely where you leave a piece of your heart.
If you didn’t identify anything, or you haven’t traveled a lot, it might just be that you haven’t gone to your heart home yet, and that’s okay.
Is there a place that you haven’t been to, but you fixate on? For my mom, it’s New York. She’s never been, but her walls are full of artwork of New York, she’s constantly talking about it, and she specifically watches TV shows based there. She doesn’t know, but my plan is to one day take her there.
But you might have a place like this. One you haven’t gone to yet, but your mind always goes there. You might read books or watch shows about or based there; maybe you’re like my mom who has artwork all over her house showing that place.
Maybe one day you could plan a trip there and see if that place feels like home to you!
Here’s a 3-minute tiny but mighty practice to go to your heart home when you need an escape.
Take a moment to sit down in a quiet place, close your eyes, and take a long, deep breath. Grounding into this moment.
Now visualize and pull up a picture in your mind of your heart home. Find your favorite spot and picture it in all its beautiful glory.
Next, place yourself in your visualization. Put yourself in your heart home as if you’re watching yourself on a TV screen. Watch yourself interacting with your heart home. What are you doing? Are you doing an activity? Maybe just sitting in the space? And feel your heart rate decrease and your joy increase!
Use this anytime you’d like to fill your cup or escape the world. Your heart home is a place only you have, and you can go to anytime you want (in your mind). And something that’s really cool… If you have a VR headset, you can actually get Google Earth and go there.
It’s really neat to see it all around you as if you were really there!
