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Meta: I considered asking this on WritersSE, but I am less familiar with it. I would not object to a migration.

Problem: I want to edit the following sentence so that it is as brief and aesthetically pleasing as possible. I specifically want to change the italicized part.

My home is a place where I (i) enjoy being, (ii) can work and rest effectively, (iii) can escape from the world to be alone, and (iv) can spend several days without going stir-crazy.

I have made the description long for the benefit of this question. I don't want to have a list like that. A word or short phrase to describe my home would be ideal. Feel free to alter the structure in any way. The revised sentence needn't perfectly capture all of the above qualities but should bring to mind their core concepts.

Non-solutions: Here are some options that I have found and rejected after checking some thesauri and similar threads on this site.

Words that are close but not right (in somewhat descending order): shelter, refuge, sanctuary, retreat, sanctum, harborage, respite.

The problem with some of these is that they suggest that I am in serious danger outside of them, which is not what I want. Some are not especially enjoyable or long-term. I'd also like to avoid religious or spiritual undertones. I would consider using these words if these problems could be largely avoided.

Words that are definite rejects: lair, den, roost, manor, demesne.

These are mostly getting more specific than home in an irrelevant way. The meaning of roost is not terribly wrong, but I do not want to compare myself to a chicken or other animal. I also want to avoid being obscure or highly metaphorical.

My best current idea is something like:

My home is truly/thoroughly/?? my shelter.

My home can completely shelter me.

These are missing the idea that I am happy and productive there. I also want to avoid the implication that I am sheltered in a negative way.

My home shelters and nourishes me.

This is very close but could use improvement. Very different options are of course welcome.

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I admire your pertinacity - you're thinking like a writer. But I don't think this is a question about usage. For anybody but you, it's an assignment, to be directed to a poet or advertising copywriter (which are very similar animals). But good luck! – StoneyB Aug 25 '12 at 3:23
In my home I am at peace. – Jim Aug 25 '12 at 3:41
What in the world could I possibly have done to deserve downvotes on this question? I read the FAQs and the complaints and suggestions on meta and did my best to follow the suggestions here. If this community habitually downvotes questions that show obvious research effort on a genuine problem without offering feedback, I don't think it should be a part of the SE network. The downvoting on this site is inconsistent, unwelcoming, and nonconstructive in general. – Rachel Aug 25 '12 at 8:35
I'm fine with this question, even on ELU -- up voting here, can be migrated/ repeated on writersSE though. – Kris Aug 25 '12 at 8:38
2  
@Rachel: I've heard the "EL&U downvotes more than another other place on the Stack Exchange" refrain before, and I'd like to defend this community with a hypothesis: perhaps that's because we probably get many more low-quality questions than the other sites. I'll bet if I went to Mathematics.SE, and wrote: "I'm trying to compute a probability – should I add or multiply?" I'd accumulate a lot of downvotes in a hurry! Yet how many English questions run along the lines of "Should I use to, or of?" or "What does this word mean?" Just a thought; I may add some more if you ask a meta question. – J.R. Aug 25 '12 at 9:08
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closed as off topic by MετάEd, Mahnax, Matt Эллен, tchrist, FumbleFingers Aug 31 '12 at 2:32

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6 Answers

up vote 4 down vote

A word you did not mention is haven.

It is defined here as:

a place where people or animals can feel safe and happy.

My home is my haven.

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This is a definite possibility and might be a good replacement for shelter (n) in my examples. My home is my haven doesn't feel complete enough, though. – Rachel Aug 25 '12 at 3:23
up vote 3 down vote

As the proverb goes:

Home is where the heart is.

Definitions from TheFreeDictionary.com:

  • People long to be at home.; Your home is whatever place you long to be.

  • Something that you say which means that your true home is with the person or in the place that you love most.

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1  
I think that kind of "home" is often quite a bit bigger than just the building you live in. You could use it to refer to the town/village/county you were brought up in - or even the country, if you were returning after living some time abroad. – FumbleFingers Aug 25 '12 at 13:37
up vote 2 down vote

Slight mismatch on nationality and gender, but an Englishman's home is his castle...

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But anyone could say "my home is my castle" - we English didn't copyright the saying.

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@FumbleFingers- Nice one! – Jim Aug 25 '12 at 4:38
Yes, this matches very nicely. I will remember it for other occasions even if I don't go with it this time. I think I would need to make it a little more humble to work for my current needs (which might be doable). – Rachel Aug 25 '12 at 5:34
@Rachel: Most Englishmen don't live in particularly grand houses. It doesn't reflect the quality of the accommodation - rather it's the fact that you are king of the castle in your own home. You're in control, safe, comfortable, etc. – FumbleFingers Aug 25 '12 at 12:48
@FumbleFingers: I understand. I meant that it seems easily taken as a proud or defiant remark, e.g., My home is my castle; you can't tell me what to do here. – Rachel Aug 25 '12 at 22:43
up vote 1 down vote

Perhaps this?

My home envelops me in its shelter, refreshes me with its comforts.

If it's not brief enough, feel free to slice and dice and rearrange to your needs.

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Comforts is good. The phrasing wouldn't fit my situation stylistically, but I didn't give much guidance there. Thanks. – Rachel Aug 25 '12 at 5:25
up vote 1 down vote

A metaphorical phrase taken from the nautical might be

My home is a snug harbor.

For a crew and vessel, it is meant to convey comfort, safety, welcome, an opportuny to repair and relax.

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up vote -1 down vote

Why do you think it's called a home? :) Home is the right word for what all you want to attribute to one place.

Some words have profound meanings. Use the word (ELU), go on and describe all the attributes in an emotional way (writersSE), or find a suitable foreign word (a cliche, perhaps?).

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