When the foundation for a house first digs its cement roots into the earth it represents simply a structure of safety and comfort. Despite the literal definition of both a house and a home being the same they exist as two very distinct meanings.
Over the course of several years I have learned to appreciate and love my home before it was simply a house. All the memories created in the small condo resting closely to the old fence in the heart of the city. My dad used to hop over that old fence to catch the bus. I fell into that routine of comfort and pleasure, knowing that every day at my old home brought a new memory. Whether it was the squirrel coming up to the second story window or the Tonka Trucks that found a parking space in the flower beds.
It came time to move into a much larger and roomier house. My five year old self quickly became against the idea of moving. All my memories of getting dirty in the yard, and scraping my knee on our sidewalk told me not to go. However, I wanted to experience a new atmosphere I felt I could cultivate into a home never forgotten.
After the long process of moving my cherished belongings, the first steps into the new house encouraged me to think that home is where one’s memories develop and thrive. I did miss home for a time, but continuously explored the land and what it had to offer. I found that memories laid around me, like Easter eggs. They just needed to be experienced. With every new egg obtained my mind began to pull towards this yellow structure that once existed as a place of shelter with four walls. The meter began to fill and each year I grew closer and closer to my home. It had everything necessary for the young mind to flourish. The huge dirt jumps in the back of the development, the river just down the hill and the soft green grass for the slip-n-slide.
People find their home when they experience their most memorable moments, moments of happiness, sadness and disappointment. Any structure could be a house. Even a house of grandeur and luxury cannot be a home if the people inside feel otherwise. A home is where the fountain of memories spout and the experiences delve deep into one’s core.
A house becomes a home when its value means more to someone than simply money or property. It becomes a home when it represents all the precious memories and experiences of one’s humanity.