Inspiration can come from many places. Sometimes it happens when you least expect it. Recently on a business trip to Louisiana I found myself delayed at the airport, sure to miss my connecting flight. Now the last place I’d ever expect to find inspiration is an airport, but it happened.
I’m sitting in the terminal on the phone with the airline’s automated phone system. Seeing me get frustrated, a person sitting across the table from me asked if she could help. Turns out she worked for the airline, but was off duty. After assuring me that the airline would reassign me to a later connecting flight, she asked where home was. At first, I thought it was a little odd that a complete stranger would ask me such a question. Where is home? Hmmm.
She didn’t ask where I was “headed.” She didn’t ask where I “lived.” Turns out, home had a special meaning for her. She was headed home to meet her husband who was flying from Afghanistan after a six month tour of duty. She said to me, “he’s finally coming home.” I thanked her for her helping me navigate the airline delay, wished her safe travels home and to please tell her husband “thank you” for everything he does for this country.
Later as I sat there, 37,000 feet above the earth, on my way home I couldn’t help but reflect on the meaning of home, and of course how precious it must be for that serviceman who is hours away from coming home to his wife. And how many people around the world are holding on to that feeling of “going home.” You see the meaning of home is the same everywhere in the world. It may come in different languages, shapes, sizes and certainly represents different emotional moments, but no one ever said “I can’t wait to get back to my long-term financial investment.” Right?
In fact, think about all the different phrases where we use the word “home:”
- “I can’t wait to get home to and sleep in my own bed.”
- There was Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, “There’s no place like home…..”
- How many moms have said “just wait ’til your father gets home!”
- There was that great moment in Top Gun when Goose (Anthony Edwards) said “Take me home, or leave me forever!”
- One of my favorites is “home for the holidays.” How can you not be happy about that?
- While it doesn’t have “home” in it, how about the term staycation! That’s right, getting away from it all at home.
That’s the feeling we are trying to convey in the first of two ads Coldwell Banker Real Estate will be unveiling in 2014. We call this first spot “Home Sweet Home” and you’ll see why for a couple of reasons. First, the song that is the track for the ad is from the infamous band, Mötley Crüe, and is appropriately titled, “Home Sweet Home.” Second the visuals in the ad convey how each of us from all walks of life experience that feeling of coming home.
I say it’s time we all take a moment and reflect on what “Home” truly means. A place of celebration. A monument of great memories. A moment of tribute to those who help protect our home everyday! That is home sweet home.
Don’t miss the debut of the Coldwell Banker ad, “Home Sweet Home,” on the Grammy Awards which air Sunday, January 26th at 8 p.m. on CBS. Join the conversation on Twitter by following us at@coldwellbanker and using the hashtag #HomeRocks.