Home Sweet House

Earlier today, someone said to me, "you are where you live." I have already been recently contemplating the concept of Home and what it means to a person. To some, their dwelling is merely where they keep most of their stuff and occassionally sleep—these people would probably find their true home to be elsewhere, such as an office.

Where you live really does say a lot about you and where you are in your life. For instance, it would be unlikely for a family with several children to live in an apartment. Similarly, a socially active extrovert would not likely live in a cabin in the woods. If you live with roommates or alone instead of with relatives, that also says a lot. (Most generalities do not apply to New York City or other such evil metropolises.)

A few years ago there was a tv show called "Get Packing" which was quite short-lived and with good reason. The two contestants each had a few minutes inside someone's house to learn as much about them as possible and pack a suitcase for a weekend getaway... the person then chose his/her date based on the contents of the suitcase and how well the contestants had guessed his/her personality based on his/her house. The interesting thing about the show was how exactly precise or widely inaccurate the contestants could be.

If you look around my current apartment, I'm sure it would tell you a lot. A poster from my favorite film is framed and hanging in my living room. Most of my furniture is second-hand. I have two separate organizers for my shoes (one for dress shoes and the other for street shoes). There is usually a pile of dishes in the sink. Currently, there is only one toothbrush in the holder on the bathroom counter.

When I was growing up, my family moved around a lot. A lot. I hated it. Now that I'm out on my own, I would like to put down roots somewhere. Not necessarily here, where I am at this moment, but I do not enjoy a transient lifestyle of only a year or two in a town. I think that my generation has had it with the gypsy ways of our youth—parents moving around, parents moving out, parents provided by the foster-care system...

We young people have multiple, significant obstacles in our way, but we'll make it. We have to. I would want my kids to go to the same school for their whole education and not have to constantly make new friends. I want to be able to actually buy a house, instead of just renting. I want to invest in that house and make it a home for myself and for the family I hope to have someday.