What Does One Truly Call Home?

What does one truly call ‘home’? I feel that there shouldn’t be a ‘proper’ definition of “home”. Not all of us have the same experience. Some who have a building they call ‘home’, don’t know what it means to be safe. Some don’t have proper food or water. They don’t have a place to stay dry or even a place to sleep at night. What most people believe qualifies as home may vary. Some may disagree and that’s alright. However, usually it’s having a place to sleep and be safe. Home should be a place with access to food, clean water, and a place to sleep. You might describe your ‘home’ as a big, beautiful, building. A building that shields you from the fury in the eyes of the sun, one that hides you from the unpleasant peekaboos of nature, a building that holds your most precious memories, where you can crawl into its welcoming arms when the world outside gets too tough. However, that is just your ‘building home’ not your ‘home home’. Your true home is anywhere where you feel safe. Your true home can be absolutely anything; not just a physical place. Your home might be in the pages of a book! When the words seem to sweep you off your feet and pull you into the book, it’s not just imagination; it’s you settling into your true home. What you might call home changes depending on age and emotions. One thing to remember when you think of ‘home’ is that home might not be in the places you expect. You should never limit yourself to just one ‘home’. All the places you once deemed ‘home’ might not feel like home now. Those places that you once thought were unfit to be a ‘home’ just might become yours. It doesn’t matter if a person is a different race, religion, or gender, you should always do your best to make them feel at peace. You never know what other people’s home situation is like. Not everyone feels safe in their own home and that’s a big problem in society. However, if we treat others with kindness; they might feel safer around you, and in return, they might protect you in ways that make you feel at ease. Even though you aren’t a building, that person might consider you their home. Remember a home isn’t just a building, it’s a place where you feel safe. If you make a person feel safe; you are their home. So if you ask me, “What does one truly call ‘home’?” Remember this: Ibi cor, ibi domus. Domus tua est ubi te bene tractant. ‘Where the heart is, there is home. Your true home is where they treat you well’.