There are many ways that a family is defined. A possible correlation to a family home and how people live there are often keys to understanding a person. I relate to my house in a similar manner as there are landmarks surrounding my house that specialize it as one of a kind. It sits on a cul-de-sac with a large stone in the front garden, a huge magnolia tree and other shrubs and plants, a fairly large back garden with a huge stone, too, and a stream in the back. A truly special place that breeds creativity.
People when generally going to a person’s house for the first time will say something along the lines of, “Oh, my house is located near that bridge or that specific lake,” signaling to others that in order to reach the destination you must use either cardinal guidelines such as the four directions north, west, east or south, or basic movement directions such as left, right, straight or backwards or even landmarks. I enjoy how families are usually proud of their houses and this calls for the need, for some, to show it off. The introduction of families can simultaneously involve the introduction of their house. The structure of a person’s house is an indicator of what the people in the house are like. For example, this is not always true, but if a person has a messy house that can signify that they either don’t care what people think of their house, they don’t have the means or time to keep it clean all the time, or that it is a reflection of their personality. The different types of stylized houses represent the many ways people make houses their own. Many times this architecture is a direct reflection of their personal style.
The furniture and every little piece of the house gives off a certain vibe to others that visit it, and this is the reason why individuals buy their houses in a certain location and furniture that personifies their personality and behavior, and the individualistic reasoning people have to stylize their homes. Some people own a home simply to live in it and nothing more, meaning that they don’t care about where they live as long as they have a place to function, a place to sleep, eat, and do work. That is it as they don’t personalize anything, sometimes because they deem it as clutter that stifles their personal environment. Then there are the ones who make their house their own by designing it with their own flair and style in their paint color choices, furniture, and artwork.
A house has a different definition for everyone. For me, it represents a place in which a family can gather together or a place where a family can be raised or brought up together. A house in itself is a structure, but it can also help contribute to the structure of one’s life and the foundation centering life.
The new and popular movie, "Finding Dory," features Dory when she was a little girl, her home and why it relates to her family. Her parents make a pathway of seashells in order to lead her back home. This memory or accessory makes their house stick out among others, and it is an accessory so Dory would be sure to remember that their house was special! This can easily relate to people that have flowers or trees in their yards, like mine, that act as boundaries for their children that they are not supposed to cross or leave. Parents say things like, ”Don’t go beyond the driveway!” A similar notion happens with pools or other bodies of water as the parent will make markers that the children cannot swim past. Houses also have safe spaces and places that help define the constraints of areas that are considered somewhat dangerous both within and around the home.
This is a message that emphasizes the safety or sense of protection at home, and thus the basis of the family unit setting that foundation too. There are times where everyone wishes their family to be safe and then there are special moments in life where one lives a little and does something outrageous and exciting that can lead to something truly wonderful. I believe that a family comes through an adventure of learning one another and being able to coexist and love in their different stylized spaces, whether that be actual family or the people in life that act as your family, as a wondrous phenomenon. A home is a place that, no matter what, you can come back to.
