My sense of place resides in my hometown of Wayland, Massachusetts, which is about half an hour outside of Boston. It is a small, suburban town with lots of natural elements surrounding my home and throughout the town as a whole; my home with all its charm is where I feel most comfortable and at peace in the world. When I think of my home and my sense of place connected to it, my mind mostly wanders to the social, ecological, and aesthetic features that I love about it. Because there are multiple natural spaces in the direct vicinity of my house, such as a lake, forest, and parks, my childhood and life growing up were directly impacted by having open access to the environment; this helped to foster my adoration for nature and my wish to study the environment in college. Another factor that adds to my sense of place is the beauty of it; the seasonal nature like changing colored leaves in fall and fat snowflakes in winter makes my home a visually appealing place to me. I am able to feel welcome and content while seeing this aesthetic in addition to the recreational and social aspects that I appreciate. Despite these more nature-focused values, however, I am most drawn to the social aspects of my location of place; without my loved ones, family, and friends, I would not enjoy my home nearly as much as I do. I believe that in most cases, in order to truly feel at home and have a strong sense of place to one’s house, one needs that emotional connection.
Throughout my life in Wayland, my town has stayed relatively the same. Some development has occurred, such as new restaurants or roads, but those updates have not negatively affected my sense of place; the direct area around my home and the natural spaces there have been untouched, so my main sense of comfort has remained intact. Also, these new places allow for opportunities to arise for my loved ones and I to enjoy them, further developing the social side of my hometown. After months of schoolwork and stress, I was very glad to be home once I returned back from UVM during break, because it was nice to be in a comfortable, familiar place where I was able to fully relax. There weren’t any major changes over the few months I was gone, so it felt natural to be back. My sense of place in my hometown has certainly affected my development and happiness in life; if I wasn’t content with where I was living, it definitely would be harder to feel at home and have the freedom to grow a sense of personal identity. Due to the nature around, I was able to discover my love for the environment, and having supportive social ties further aided my development and satisfaction with life.