Home: What does it mean to you?

Home. It is such a simple yet beautiful word. Don’t you think so? The reason why home is such an interesting word is because of two reasons. The first reason is because there is not a specific meaning of home. Do you know what home means to you? This leads to the second reason: home has a plethora of meanings, not all are confirmed. According to Google, the definition of home is “The place where one lives permanently, especially as a member of a family or household.” but in reality, home means way more than that. Home could range from a small cottage in your hometown that has a tiny red door or just the delightful aroma of your grandma’s cookies. Home could be a person, someone you feel safe with when you are with them. But sometimes people don’t have the chance to smell the sweet scent of cookies or to have a physical home. Some people can’t find a person they can call “home”. Some people have a home but still can’t quite grasp the feeling of home. If you are one of those people, keep reading this so you can unravel what really is the meaning of home. One definition I incorporate home with is people. People play such big roles in our life whether it is your parents, your enemies or just a stranger passing by you. Either way, these people can make you feel at home. For example, you may have encountered someone that you feel safe with. You feel welcomed and loved. Those are the exact feelings you would feel when you’re at home. Safe, welcome, and loved! Another example: Do you have someone in life that you currently miss? Maybe it is your co-workers whom you haven’t seen since the pandemic. It is equivalent to home- sickness except you miss your loved ones. Your home. Do you see what I am getting at? People impact your life and their actions can lead you to feeling at home with them. “Home” doesn’t have to be a house, home can be a person, a person you admire and adore and a person makes a wonderful home. Moving on, the next and the most common definition: A physical home. The safety and warmth that you feel when you are at your house is what makes you feel at home. The physical house is the most common because it really is your home. It is where you eat breakfast in, sleep in, and ultimately live in. Lots of sweet memories were created in your house and those memories remind you of home. All the things you do, all the people you love, all the memories you have made are all stored in your house and that is why it is the most common definition. Think of it as the home of all the homes. Remember that a home does not need to be a physical house, but the physical house is a place where you really feel at home. What is my meaning of home you may ask? All this talk about different meanings of home, and I haven’t informed you what my definition is. Home to me is a certain warmth you feel when you see your childhood toy. A small flame in your heart when you see your old childhood bedroom, the memories just flooding your brain. Home to me is a feeling, a small, simple happiness that you feel whether you are at your house, with a person you love, smelling your grandma’s sweet treats or missing your co-worker. You feel at home when you literally experience that feeling. It feels so surreal, with all the sweet memories rushing back to you. Some people feel the opposite of that. They feel great hiraeth. Hiraeth is a deep, bittersweet longing for a home, possibly a home you never had. Sometimes, people have never felt such feelings like home and it is such a sad truth because the feeling of home warms my heart and it is upsetting to know that some hearts were never warmed before. That is why I treasure the feeling of being at home. Even though it is a small feeling in the depths of your heart, it should be treasured by everyone because not a lot of people get to experience what you have experienced. My definition of “home” is a strange, nostalgic warmth in your heart when you feel like you are back at home. In summary, this whole essay is informing you about possible meanings of home. Even though Google inquires about what the “actual” meaning of home is, there is more than one and not a single one of them happen to be the actual definition. Home could be people, a small cottage, a joyous emotion inside yourself, a sugary aroma of sweets, or anything really as long as you feel at home. These elements I have presented to you are different meanings of home but you might have a different meaning and that is okay. That is what I love the most about the meaning of home: The reason why there isn’t a confirmed meaning of home is because everyone has their own meaning that they hold in their heart. Above all, the meaning of home is extraordinary and that is why it is special to everyone. It is such a beautiful yet interesting word, don’t you agree?