Perfectly Imperfect Home

I’ve had the unique experience of living in many different homes, from apartments, condos and many more. But what’s special to me isn't the places themselves, but what is inside these four walls. Home is special because mistakes are forgiven, successes are celebrated, and support is always there. My home is a place where mistakes don’t define me. It’s a place where I can feel safe, but also a place where I can make mistakes. You can hear the sound of my sister and I fighting over a chocolate chip cookie, or my parents and I arguing over the smallest things. Sometimes mistakes can hurt someone’s feelings. No one’s perfect and that I can say without a doubt. But, if home was perfect, I bet none of us would be who we are today. Mistakes are the things that help us learn, that help us grow as a person. In our home mistakes happen, but we forgive one another and we try not to make the same mistake. Home is also a place where we celebrate each other’s successes. When it comes to friends, they sometimes aren’t the greatest when congratulating you on your success. They can get jealous, or want to be better than you, in other words everything is a competition. My home isn’t like that. I am celebrated for every achievement and in return I can celebrate my family’s success. This part of my home teaches me to let others be in the spotlight and celebrate success without competition. Another thing that home means to me is support. Everyone in life needs a cheerleader, a motivation in life. For me that is my family, my home. Without all the support I receive from my family everyday I wouldn’t be so willing to do the things I do. This could be studying, learning new skills and many more. However support doesn’t necessarily have to be help I get physically, but mentaly too. When I am down or upset, home is the place for me. My mom’s Kimchi stew always seems to make me feel better and my grandma’s warm hugs always cheer me up. I wrote this essay to not only share what home means to me, but to teach others about normalizing mistakes, celebrating success, and why it’s important to have a cheerleader in life. I hope after reading this, the next time someone moves they won’t be sad saying goodbye to the 4 four walls they used to live in, but instead will remember that they always have a home with their family.