Home is where your heart is

After Andreas Weise performed in the Swedish selection for Eurovision ('Melodifestivalen') I found a clip (in swedish) with him on Youtube. The clip is from when he participated in 'Idol' (Swedish version of American Idol/X-Factor) and showed his house:

Interviewer: "What is this?"

Andrease Weise: "This is the street where I live, and it is not a palace as you can see."

Interviewer: "No, it is not Strandvägen."

AW: "No."

I thought about why Weise felt he had to point out that it wasn't a palace. Perhaps he felt that because he was competing in Idol and now famous, people expected him to live in an affluent area.

I also noticed how the interviewer pointed out that it wasn't Strandvägen (see image), once named by a newspaper as the wealthiest street in the country due to the amount of millionaires living there.

I would have told Weise that if he was happy/unhappy in his home, he would have been happy/unhappy on Strandvägen. I grew up on Strandvägen, and no matter how beautiful, affluent and sought-after the boulevard is, I was still depressed and a lot of the time I was angry, bitter and barely had any friends while living there.

When I was in middle school my teacher would point out, in front of the class, that I lived on Strandvägen. Back in those days, I didn't fully understand why he did that. However, once I read the newspaper story mentioned earlier, I realised how other people valued the location.

If someone offered me a flat on Strandvägen, would I turn it down? No way. It is a lovely avenue, and the most beautiful one in Stockholm in my opinion. However, it is also a relief to know that my geographical location didn't make me happier, and that the importance other people gave my home street, didn't improve my mood or situation.

Today I don't feel the need to strive to live in a wealthy area, believing that it will solve any issues, or make me happier. I believe that it doesn't matter where we live as long as we feel safe and fulfilled. We have all we need to be happy today. My home is with God and my husband.