Red Wattlebird

It might take you a moment here to spot our title character, nestled snugly amidst the Camellias.

Meet the Red Wattlebird, a very common urban bird that once you recognise, you start seeing everywhere. And hearing - they have a very distinct sounding call. A sound that reminds me markedly of my childhood home, growing up in Melbourne.

It calls me to consider the concept of 'home', what it means to me, and how it has evolved over the years. From being a child at home, to leaving the nest, to traveling and living abroad. The idea of home differs from person to person, it can be a place, a community, family and friends, a partner, a lifestyle.

But for me, I've often found myself most at home when on the road, surprisingly, away from all the people I love and cherish.

It can be a journey to feeling truly comfortable in one's own skin. The road has been a great place to find the parts of me that want to be expressed, that don't necessarily align with the image that people from home have become accustomed to. It's a chance to feather a nest within, where I feel safe and heard and loved. A place where I can happily be myself. A home within, that I can take wherever I go. With a level of happiness and comfort in my own skin, I feel much more comfortable in the world around me.

What does home mean to you? Where, and with who, can you be the truest version of yourself? Do you feel you can return to your home within at any time?

The Red Wattlebird reminds us that in a healthy inner environment, we grow naturally, we flourish and we bloom.