What is a Home?

Written by: mer

What is a home? Is it four walls and a roof? Is it a dwelling that is identified by a set of numbers followed by a street name? Is it wherever your mom and dad are? Is it a place to sleep and eat? Is it a person, object, or destination?

What is a home?

A home means something different to everyone, but to me, a home is a safe place. A place where you walk in and can kick your shoes off, to relax on the sofa watching HGTV with your mom, to rummage through the fridge to find your favorite snack, to be able to breathe deep, and to leave the weight of the world at the edge of the front lawn rather than on your shoulders……………….

That home is in my imagination. My home is gray. My home isn’t my definition of a home. It has four walls with a roof.

I envy those who have my dream home because, in reality, it should be normal.

I fidget when asked what I am doing for the holidays. I squirm when asked what’s my favorite thing about going home. I breathe deep and remember to smile with my eyes as well as with my mouth so it’s not apparent that I’m lying. I scrounge for the small, positive thing to say aloud.

In the future, my home will be more than walls and a roof. It will be more than a fake smile. It will be yellow rather than gray. It will be happy and not sad. It will be a warm embrace rather than a nod of approval.

What is a home?

It can be anything both good and bad, but it is yours. You have the power to build those four walls and roofs as you like. You have the power to insulate it to keep your bones and heart warm. You have the power to condition it to keep the heat and stress at bay. You have the power to build a door that only allows what is necessary to walk in. You have the power to build the floor strong enough to provide support on days that are harder than others. You have the power to build walls that absorb every word and feeling, but provide forgiveness rather than grudges.

To build a home, you must define for yourself …. What is a home?