2025/Blake-34753

Home to me means a broad horizon of things. Most importantly, I never refer to it as somewhere I live as a home everywhere I go. Home is where I feel free from hostility, where I can be myself with the people I love and enjoy the company of most. Although, my home will always be with my family, and the entirety of my family. I’ll be straight forward and admit I didn’t have a childhood like the stereotypical children who grow up ‘Normal’ – I lived with years of abuse from all kinds of people who’d entered my life and left. That never changed how my family was supportive, even not directly knowing.They always knew what to say. They created the insightful, preppy, cheerful and caring person I am today. They kept positive through the worst, they taught me discipline and consequences. Wherever they land, is where my home will permanently stay.

People ask why my family is my home, rather than some area or town. The answer is simple, the places where I make memories are considered homes. Not every place I spend time with friends and family is, but those big events, the memory repeats itself in that one area like nostalgia. As referred to before, I didn’t grow up in good environments, This is not to blame any parental guardians or those who watched over me–a young kid who had the brain of a curious scientist. They protected me and defended me, including the times where I was most definitely in the wrong. All this inclusiveness, love, and defense, doesn’t even have to tell me what I don’t know because I can see it. They are devoted to keeping me warm and loved as I am to them. I know for a fact that if they go somewhere or do something, me and my family here will always be that pestering thought of ‘I wish they were here’.

A subject that isn’t always brought up, is where you want your home to be. I’ve planned my entire future through and through, it's difficult to think I could move away and consider, dare to say, home. If you look to the bright side, that’s where you’ll see a picture of you. Growing up around new people, shifting yourself as you grow and mature. The place I picture for this is Germany. So many times when I tell people that I really want to live there and here to say again, call it a home–but I’ve personally never lived there myself, they get confused. ‘Well, how could you call something you’ve never been to or experienced, a home?’, easy enough to reply. I obviously want to continue to shape myself in a healthy environment. And Germany is exactly what that is to me. Not only is it beautiful, the culture is something out of a history book, and the starting point to begin to express myself more. The comebacks are a line of ‘You don’t know for sure’ or ‘How would you know?’. Well, you see. I don’t. Which is probably the best factor coming from something like this. I can restart fresh (which depends on the people for this path because it’s a variable based on whether you want to and can), learn a new culture, do the things I enjoy such as enjoying nature or riding motorcycles. Coming from the outsider looking in, the community is close-knit, warm and welcoming. Plus, who doesn’t want to make friends just by having something as small as a language similarity and hobby interest?

I want everyone to know, home isn’t where the heart is, but home is where your soul lives and thrives under the sun.