We sold our house 2 years ago and rent a small apartment in the city. I don’t know where we will live next year, or in 5 or 10 years, but I always know where home is.

I used to think I needed the right furniture, square footage, and curtains to be at home, but I’ve learned that you can’t build a meaningful life with bricks, concrete, or window treatments. Surrounding yourself with stuff and walls doesn’t always result in creating a home.

In 2014, I found home …

• in Sydney, Australia spending time on the beach with my daughter

• enjoying leisurely meals and strolling the streets of Italy with my parents

• playing Scrabble in New Hampshire with my sister and mother-in-law

• driving in the Doha desert with my sister and her family

And no matter where I am, my husband is my home. I’m home when we are traveling together. I’m home when we are hanging out on the patio, hiking the Wasatch with our dog, or out for a walk in the city. I find home in chats with long distance friends and writing dates with the ones who are close by, and even when I’m sitting quietly by myself.

Home is always where your people are, and yes … where your heart is. Right now, my home is Sydney and I was sure of that the moment I hugged my daughter in the airport when I arrived a few days ago.

Home is eye contact, hand holding, hugs, tears and hearts bursting with love and connection. Home is compassion and patience. It’s laughter and trust and unconditional support. Home has very little to do with the physical spaces we create.

I’ve seen some beautiful houses and elaborate blueprints. Anyone who has ever purchased, sold, or built a house knows what tremendous time, money and energy that involves. What if we spent as much of our resources cultivating our relationships as we did building homes?

A simple place to live

Love is a simple place to live. It doesn’t require the trappings of what some may define as a successful life. All you need is an open heart, time and attention.

I can be at home anywhere because feeling content and safe and loved has nothing to do with the stuff that surrounds me. Now I build those things from the inside out instead of looking for them somewhere else.

By letting go of the things I thought I needed to be complete, I learned that I had everything I needed, and more.