SPACE

What Makes A Space A Place?

Is it the feeling of belonging?

Photo by NASA on Unsplash

In geographic thought, there’s a concept that questions what is a place and what is a space. A space is considered anywhere and everywhere, but a place has an emotional meaning to it. The best saying that encompasses this concept is “make a house feel like a home.” A house is a space, a home is a place. That’s why we feel more comfortable in some places than others.

Maybe it’s just my social anxiety or maybe it’s something else. Either way, I’ve always dreaded returning back to a place with people I’ve left behind. I don’t feel like I belong in that space anymore. I’ve changed and grown. And usually, so have they.

I was surprised when I returned home from college and got a call to be a bridesmaid for a high school friend’s wedding. Carrie and I haven’t spoken since graduating high school, so it was very unexpected that she asked me to be her bridesmaid. But it turns out, I was a last-minute addition. I honestly don’t think I would have been invited to the wedding otherwise. I said that I would do it because I don’t really have many friends so I’m not expecting to get the chance to be a bridesmaid again for a while.

It had been so many years, I truly didn’t know her at all anymore and she didn’t know me. We hung out several times in…