A key component of the final paper for this class is going to be a working definition of the idea of home. What aspect of home am I going to use in this paper? My physical home currently, is a overcrowded two-bedroom apartment in north Centralia. It is in good repair, but attempting to fit my family into it has taken its toll. The building itself is nothing to write home about and is reminiscent of a set of barracks buildings from the outside. Inside it is much nicer, and has a relatively decent floor plan, and is equipped with good facilities for the price range it is in.
The home in the metaphorical sense for my family that I have created inside of this building is complicated. My husband and I live here with two children currently, but the third visits when she can. The children while not mine by blood, are part of my family. My parents, no longer form a cohesive family like they did when I was a child and I have three of them now. All three of them do not live in this state for now. My husband’s extended family all live here and it has been an adjustment for me to have people so close to us still be so far away. The children also have another side to their family that I am not sure how to address, that creates the “it’s complicated”part of my family. A big part of why this is so awkward, is the fact that we all live in the same state now, with in 100 miles of each other, all of which is a very new thing.
Then there’s where I grew up, and the place that I call home. My home is simply a memory of time and place and things were different than they are now. The physical house I grew up in is now only a memory. The family I grew up in is a memory. And sadly, the place for that house was is also a memory. This is not the state that is my home, it’s just where I am. As nice as Washington is it’s not Alaska. I want my fish back, and the trails made of dirt, and the mountains, and the snow, and the plants and trees I knew, and the moose. But for now, Washington will have to do.
I’m not yet sure which of these ideas I will use my paper, perhaps I will use a combination of these places and ideas. After all there is no right answer, and all of these things are my home. This will be something I’m going to have to think about for much longer.