My sense of place is at 5 Orchard Lane in Livingston, NJ. This is the address of my home. Orchard lane is located on a hill, and my house is at the top of a hill. Vegetation and different shrubs border the front of my house. My backyard is long and fenced in, with plenty of room for my dogs to run around. There is a groundhog that lives under the shed, and many squirrels that often come up onto my deck. Ass you drive down the hill from my house, you will eventually get to a dead-end. At the dead-end, there is an entrance to the woods where you can reach walking trails. 

When I am at home, I feel warm. There is a comfort like no other being home, surrounded by the things I know. My house reminds me of my Jewish identity, and I feel most comfortable here. Most of all, my pets make me feel at home: my two yellow labs Ava and Riley, and my cat Scarlett. The love I receive from pets is like no other. My sense of place also has distinct tastes. I am reminded of specific food when I am. The sweet taste of cookies. The sour taste of the fruit. Lastly, the comfort and warmth of my mom’s cooking.

My house has a distinct sound. You can usually hear music or the TV playing, dogs paws shuffling around hardwood floors, and chatting of voices. My friends in my town are also incorporated into my sense of place. There are usually a lot of people in my house because I am always inviting them over. 

There is this one room in my house with lots of windows that are surrounded by short trees and plants. Birds are always visible in this vegetation. Sitting in this room over thanksgiving made me think about my sense of place. I am familiar with these birds, and seeing and listening to them through the windows is something I take for granted. However, I need to appreciate small things like these in my sense of place. As the earth is warming, who knows if those birds will always be there.

My sense of place at home has changed over the years. As I have grown up, I have learned not to take my home for granted. I realize how lucky I am to have a positive image of a sense of place. Since I have been at UVM, my sense of place at my home is Livingston has deepened. I have taken it for granted over the years, but being away for a long time has made me appreciate it differently. I am grateful for my street, my home, and my neighbors. I have realized how lucky I am to live in a place that has not been significantly impacted by climate change. 

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 5th, 2019 at 12:06 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.