The Meaning of Home

What do you think the definition of home is? Hello there, judges. I’d first like to start off by introducing myself. Hello, my name is Isabelle A., and I’m here to talk about what home means to me. The first thing I’d say that represents home to me would be the important people in my life. My family is special to me, and I’m pretty sure everyone else I know as well. They are the people I feel safest with, the people that I trust the most, the ones I’m most comfortable with, and everything else. They’re also some of the reasons I’m the person I am today. For me, one of the meanings of home would be everyone and everything special in your life. They will always be with me through thick and thin, and that proves that The next thing that would also be the definition of home to me would be the smells. The smells matter because they can make you, most of the time, feel something special. For example, the smell of freshly baked cookies reminds me of home. Some reasons would be the memories you often make with the people in your life, along with those smells. The smell sometimes doesn't even have to smell good, like dog fur. For some people, it’s comfort food. It’s the type of thing that can make you feel happy, warm, safe, and allowed to be you. Of course, not everyone defines the meaning of home with smell. They could be also based on the activities you do with someone you love. Now, if I define my definition of home with the activities I do, I would say that doing the stuff I love would be a part of it. For example, baking cookies with my Mom and brother, or maybe having family fun nights. It could be anything you love doing, basically. As long as you feel like you don’t have to be someone you’re not, and that you enjoy doing it, then that’s the thing that matters. For example, it could be baking cookies with your family, it could be playing games with best friends, basically anything that you enjoy doing with other people, or it could just be yourself doing the activity. Of course, another thing that may define the meaning of home for some people could be memories. That memory could be a cheerful memory, like having family game night, that time you got your first dog, etc. Usually, memories that remind someone of home are warm, happy, and have that feeling of love with them. The memories don’t have to be happy ones, because sometimes they’re sad, and that’s okay. As long as they remind you that there are people that care for you, then I’d say that’s enough. Of course, there are also some people that think of the definition of home as the structural place you live in that makes you feel safe, and that’s perfectly fine as well. If I were to define home as a structure, the house that I live in would be a perfect example. It’s the place where I usually spend time with my family, it’s where I feel safe, it’s the place where I eat, sleep, drink, and do everything else I need to do. It gives you a feeling of safety, but sadly, there are people in this world that are not able to have this feeling of safety. Of course, this structure does not have to be the house you live in. It could perhaps be a friends house, or maybe something else. The only things that matter are the fact that you feel safe, happy, loved, and everything in between. So, how would you describe the meaning of home? The ones that I just covered could be your definition of home, or maybe it could be something else. Family, friends, pets, etc. are a huge role in the meaning of home, since they’re the ones you usually feel the safest with. They give you the best of memories, and, for the most part, stay with you through thick and thin. But, if you move to a new place without knowing anyone there, certain smells could remind you of home and maybe give you a sense of relief, maybe even happiness. But, if you do move out of your parents’ house, i’d say call them every once and a while to see how they’re doing. The memories you have are also special, and most of them should remind you of home, and how everyone loves you. They are, after all, something that helps shape your identity. The house you live in is also another perfect example of the meaning of home. It gives you a sense of safety, comfortableness, happiness, etc. It’s mainly the place you go to to rest and relax. So, whatI’m trying to say, is that the way you define home doesn’t matter, as long as it makes you feel safe, comfortable to be who you are, it gives you happiness, enjoyment, and basically anything in between.