In the movie Failure to Launch (which I don’t remember really liking all that much), the main character Tripp and his friends Ace and Demo each live with their parents. It’s the point of the movie—they’ve “failed to launch” into their own independent lives—and Tripp’s parents hire someone to seduce Tripp out of the house and into adulthood.

The part I did like about the movie was near the end, one of the emotional climaxes, when Ace admits he owns the house where he grew up (bought it from his mom) and has the basement tricked out in ultra-tech super-modern style. And when Ace sums up Demo—the guy who’s always rock-climbing and traveling—like this:

And Demo, here, has chosen the life of a wanderer. I mean, sure, he technically still lives at home, but his permanent address is in his heart.

(Oh yeah, I forgot to mention Demo is played by Bradley Cooper. Which was arguably the best part of the movie.)

Yes, that stuck with me because some might think I’ve failed to launch. I’m 31 and living with my mom. A few years ago I was 24 and living with my parents. In between, I’ve traveled, had my own apartment, had jobs—but I tend to move in and out a lot. And I’m okay with that. Why? Because my permanent address is in my heart.

So when I decided to move back in with my mom this summer, it wasn’t a problem. And it’s exciting to settle myself back into the corner bedroom with the big bay window. (Someday I’ll write another post on why I find it important for me to have a home base, but for now, suffice it to say that it is so, so important!)

My mom is also a good roommate. We’re not only related, but we’re also friends. She doesn’t mind me taking up the living room with moving boxes while I’m cleaning my closet and making space for the things I actually want to keep. She loves trying new foods when I experiment with recipes, and she strikes a good balance between kind and drill sergeant when I ask her to help me stick to my exercise goals. And she’s good company. Whether it’s drinking tea in our pajamas or doing yoga on the deck, we just like spending time together.

I move around a lot, but really, every good boat launch needs a dock. My home dock is Pennsylvania, and right now, I’m just repainting and refueling the ship for its next voyage.