Home. What is it?

Home. What does it mean? If I ask any of my friends, anyone in my class, they would all reply with something different. Hope, love, kindness, connection, family, house, structure, four walls with a roof, and more. Everyone's home is different. But what does it mean, as in what is the real definition of home? This was a question many people wondered, and still do today. I came to Canada at a really young age, so I didn’t necessarily trouble myself with that puzzle. But I know many people who did. My cousin, my parents, my uncles, aunts, and the list goes on. To me, home is a sentimental place. A place that holds emotions, memories, feelings and stories. There’s a difference between a house and a home. A house gets transformed into a home, when the four walls of that house protect and brighten the people inside it. Home is like a treasure chest, a secret stash, and where you can store secrets and moments inside. Bad or good, home is the best place to keep it. But home is not something everyone has, something everyone gets. Many fought hard for their home, some even shed blood. Some found a home straight away. Yet the thing is, we can’t provide everyone with a home because we’re always turning on each other, causing wars, starting fights, and developing selfishness. Many people have that money to provide for others and we don’t. Plus, we can’t provide our own species and we’re destroying animal homes, too? “Make yourself at home.” Many people think of it as getting comfortable, or taking off your socks. But, it means you can think of this place as your own happy place. Home is something worth way too much for textbooks and dictionaries. It’s where you thrive.