Home is Peace

     Home can have different meaning to different people depending on their personal experiences.  To me, home is where I am welcomed, accepted, and taken care of.  My version of home is not always a particular place, but is usually with certain people such as my family and close friends.  I am usually a very tense person, so when I feel safe is when I feel at home.  That is normally with a variety of people and not at a specific place.  I often joke that my second home is school, but in a way it is true because that is where my closest friends are.  My physical house can also be home, as well as the houses of my friends and other places.  To me, home means peace, and I find peace with those who love me.
     Being with supportive and loving friends and family is home.  One day I was at my friend's house with a couple of my other friends and we just sat in their room and talk about everything.  I do not remember exactly what was said, but I remember feeling warm, safe, and happy.  We laughed so hard we cried, and within the span of 30 minutes we talked about actual meaningful life situations.  When I think of home I think of this time.  Laughing, playing games, and living life with my closest friends is truly home to me.  We may be goofy at times but I know that when I fall they have my back.  This support system is home.

     Home can come to us in the most unexpected of ways.  When I met my friends I had no idea how close I wold become to them and how much they would mean to me.  I found home within these people, but prior to meeting them I had no idea what I was missing.  Before meeting these wonderful friends whom I love, I forced myself assimilate into a group of people I was not like.  I forced myself to be like everyone else, whereas with my true friends I am able to accept myself and be more confident with who I am.
     We may not always go into a place looking for a home, but it can be found in people who genuinely care.  Finding a home is not the same as looking for a house.  A home is built up through positive relationships with people and finding comforting places.  Buying a home is based on appearance and functionality, where as a home is something one creates themselves.  Such as a comforting and safe space and also those feelings with certain people.
     Homeless people may not have a place to live, but that does not mean that they do not have a home.  They may find home with people who care about them and who understand them.  Others may not even feel safe in their actual house so their home is where people care of them. I believe that it is the same way for most people.  Home is not always a physical place although it can be, but it is often with specific people.  Home is a safe and welcoming community of those closest to one self.