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“It's not just a place where you eat or sleep. Home is knowing. Knowing your mind, knowing your heart, knowing your courage. If we know ourselves, we're always home, anywhere.” - Lena Horne as Glinda the Good Witch of the South, The Wiz (1978)

I didn’t think I would write another piece before the end of the year, but here we are. It’s funny where you find inspiration. Mine comes from a favorite movie of mine since I was 3-years-old: The Wiz. Yes, The Wiz from 1978 starring the overly dramatic Diana Ross as Dorothy, Michael Jackson as the scarecrow and legendary funny man Richard Pryor as the title character. It features other heavyweights from 70s Black sitcoms like Mabel King from What’s Happenin’ and Theresa Merritt from That’s My Mama. I feel like those are lesser known references because the culture usually struggles to find a “crossover audience” but that’s another conversation for another time.

The Wiz is one of my favorite movies to watch, especially during the holidays. I watched it last night as I was dozing off and looked at clips on Instagram today. When Diana Ross sings “Home” at the end of the movie before clicking the heels of her silver slippers three times, you feel the emotion in her voice.

“When I think of home I think of a place where there’s love overflowing. I wish I was home. I wish I was back there with the things I been knowing…”

It’s easy to get caught up in looking at other’s lawns thinking “I should have that”. No, you shouldn’t because that’s their life. I know, I’ve done it my whole life. I’ve lived a life where I got everything on my Christmas list as a kid, and I’ve lived a life where sometimes bills or unexpected expenses take over and I can’t even get myself a present as an adult. But this Christmas, even though illness and other events over the last three months have put a dent in my wallet, I wasn’t upset. I looked around me and surrounded by my mother, my stepfather and two family friends who adore me along with a FaceTime call from a good friend who went to visit family in Texas —I discovered I have the most important thing: people in my life who feel like home.

“Maybe there’s a chance for me to go back there. Now that I have some direction. It would sure be nice to be back home, where there’s love and affection. And just maybe I can convince time to slow up, giving me enough time in my life to grow up. Time be my friend, let me start again…”

With the new year approaching, I’m feeling a range of emotions. “Where did the time go?”. “This year is yearing like no year before”. “Damn, I’ll be 37 in 4 months and some change”. But the most mindful of all of the emotions I’m experiencing is that my heart feels full. I found out today my mother finally started taking her hormone meds to prevent her cancer from coming back after begging her for over 7 months. I planned my first NYE with friends in a long time. I’ve written so much and invested not only my emotions but my time into my blog. I have been fortunate to have an understanding boss while going through life changes and needing to take time off to address familial matters.

I have a lot to be grateful for. I have a lot of love around me despite still struggling to find whoever I’m meant to be with romantically. In the meantime, I know I’m still becoming who I’m meant to be. I don’t expect Father Time to slow down; I just expect myself to meet the moments. Cheers to 2025!

I want to thank all of you who keep coming back for my stories. You make picking fights with my laptop over falling asleep worth it. I hope that you know your heart, your mind and your courage so that you are always home wherever you are. I hope that if you are trying to find the people who feel like home in your adulthood that you know it is possible. Most of all, I hope that you know that you’re not on someone else’s timeline. You’re on yours. Don’t do what feels safe. Take a risk. And as always…

With Love & Sunshine,

Nickole

“And I've learned that we must look inside our hearts to find a world full of love.
Like yours, like mine, like home…”

Clicks heels three times