A view of the North Vancouver mountains
The sense of home is strikingly powerful. It is something that is different to each and every one of us, regardless of where we live. Whether we are immediate next-door neighbours, or live on opposite sides of the world, our sense of “home” will differ from one person to the next.
Being born in Vancouver and living in North Vancouver until I was two years old, I am confident I subconsciously developed this love for the Coastal Mountains at this very young age. When I think of home, the most significant symbol of this is the mountains. Due to my parents work, I moved to the heart of downtown Toronto, even though I grew up in this bustling city of Toronto, I am so drawn to the climate, the landscape and all that Vancouver has to offer. I love Toronto, but there is something about the mountains and forest, I am certain that I will never be able to live in a place without them.
My dog, Oakley at the Cleveland Dam, a two minute drive from my house. One of his favourite spots.
With this being said, when I think of home with regards to people, I think of Toronto. This is for a number of reasons. First of all, all of my family lives in Toronto. It is where my parents were raised. and in Muskoka we have a cottage that we visit frequently. A place where our whole extended family gets together and spends time with one another. On top of this, since I spent pre-school to 6th Grade in Toronto, it is where I developed my first friendships, a group of people that I am still close with to this day. It is easy to drift away from your childhood friends, as life presents many challenges, and changes, but these are people that you grew up with, learned with, and share life-long memories with, very important people!
As mentioned before, when I think of home in regards to a physical place, I think of the mountains. Even when I go back to Toronto to visit family, friends and my old “home,” I find myself yearning for the mountains within a week. They are something that I’ve fallen in love with over the past decade of living in North Vancouver, and I really attribute this allure for mountains to stem from my first two years on the planet living here, even though I don’t remember it.
Finally, not to get all sappy on you, but I of course credit my dog when I think of home. Having been with my family for the past 14 years, the little bastard has been at home with me for as long as I can remember. He and I have lived together in both Toronto and Vancouver, he made the journey across the country with us. He is a very integral part of my family, a prominent fifth member of the team. Every time I open the door of my “home” I hear his collar jingle as he runs to come greet me as if I had been gone for months on end, when it had really only been about an hour.
In conclusion, my sense of home is an ambidextrous one. My answer would differ depending on the variable being people, or place. I feel very fortunate to be able to consider both of the aforementioned places “home,” and in no way take either for granted, I am truly grateful. Home is “both a place and an idea, complex and multifaceted.” I very much enjoyed this exercise as “home” is not something that I feel I am introspective and appreciative of as often as I should be, so this was very beneficial!