I admit that with One Direction being a boy band, some of their stuff is a little cheesy. However, I also admit to being a pretty big fan. More of their recent music has stood out to me in ways their older stuff hasn’t. Specifically, the song "Don’t Forget Where You Belong" off their album Midnight Memories. Don’t worry, this article is not about fan-girling over One Direction, it’s more about what the song made me think about-how important it is to not forget where you belong.

When I ask myself the question "where do I belong?", I think about where I am from, I think about home. I may not always live there, but I belong there because it’s the place that shaped me into the person I am.

Where you are from, most likely the place you call home, is one of the main reasons why you are the way you are today. Home is etched into your character. For the most part it played a vital role in shaping your personality, developing your morals, and determining the logical reasons behind your actions. Your community, your family, your friends. It all creates the atmosphere of home and it all influenced you.

Since leaving home for college and moving to an entire new state with new people, the concept of where I belong has wavered. I have a whole new life, new community, and new people surrounding me and loving me. It’s an experience that has simultaneously been the greatest gift, but also the greatest reminder of what my true home means to me. Home gives me perspective and reminds me of what’s important in life. It’s always consistent. I know that when life is crazy and the people in my life are inconsistent, the place and the people that I call home will always be there.

Don’t forget where you belong, home

If you ever feel alone, don’t

You were never on your own

It doesn’t matter what crazy adventures life takes you on or where you decide to settle down. It doesn’t matter if you rarely return or even count it as your true home anymore. It was a place you once belonged, a place you once called home. It’s a place that will remind you of who you were and how you changed.

And it’s because of all this that I will never forget where I belong.