What Does Home Mean to Me?

A home, or domicilium, is a usually room used as a semi-permanent or fully functional home for an individual, family or group. It may have exterior and interior aspects to it and is usually completely or partially sheltered from the weather. The domiciliums used in private homes tend to be larger than the ones used in public buildings, but small enough to fit the needs of the people who own them. A home is typically a place where people feel safe and comfortable, and as such houses can vary significantly in style, size and complexity. They can range from something as simple and utilitarian as a single storey home to an elaborate complex designed to look like a small town with street names and street signs marking the location of local businesses.

A home means different things to many people, for example a person may define home as a place where they grew up or where they have raised children, another may prefer to define home as somewhere they have established a comfortable retirement or second income, and yet another may view a home as a place where they have built a great home business from which they make a good living. However, most people would define a home as the place where they feel most at home and in which they feel most comfortable. For some, a home means a house on a nice street where they can live out their lives without any disturbances, for others, a comfortable bungalow on the outskirts of town where they can pursue their hobby without feeling that their surroundings are threatening.

A home means something very specific to each and every individual who lives in it, for example a single person may describe their home as consisting of a comfortable apartment with an on-site laundry and swimming pool, while another person may envision their home as a large ranch style house that has two bedrooms, a garden, an outdoor patio, and a deck. There is no clear and definitive answer to what home means to each and every person, rather most people simply say what it means to them. In recent years, more people are choosing to call home a nursing home in an effort to find greater freedom and less confinement. However, for those who are interested in defining home in more concrete terms, here are some suggestions: