Home, 2025

Julie Panch  

This work emerged as a reflection on the search for an inner home —
the invisible inner structures that remain with us regardless of time,
place, or circumstance. A space where you become your own support.
A space where you are allowed to exist. Truly. Whole.
Over time, however, the meaning of this work shifted for me.
Or rather, it revealed itself more deeply.
What is happiness?
Why does each of us experience it differently?
Why does this feeling have no single definition,
yet contains millions of shades?
No one ever explained to me what happiness is.
I grew up watching how it was portrayed in films —
as a flash of joy, the climax of a dream, a kiss in the rain.
I concluded that happiness was chemistry:
a surge of serotonin, dopamine,
and a few other smart-sounding words.
Later, however, I encountered another idea:
Happiness is when everything is simply okay.
When you have meaningful work, loved ones, health,
a roof over your head, documents.
That made me wonder:
what if happiness is not an exception to the norm,
but the norm itself — something we are all striving toward?
Quiet, stable, warm. Like a home.
In an ideal world, everyone should be okay.
So why don't we teach children what happiness is?
Why isn't this discussed in schools?
Is happiness a feeling of calm?
Or a sudden burst of joy?
Is it the sense of home in a new country?
Or all of these at once?
Can happiness be learned?
And if so — where do we begin?