[Jennifer Sears]

Use the discussion board below to respond, using instructions for the Participation Activity on the To-Do List:

[Joseph]

My home, a place of comfort and safety. Somewhere I’m able to think creatively thanks to the white walls surrounding me. My bedroom a place where I lock myself with my thoughts when I work. It’s a sanctuary after a long day being outside. My neighborhood, my home a place where nostalgia kicks in every time I walk around. All the new and old memories I have made throughout my life with friends and family comes to life with a single stare. Although not spacious it’s enough for me because sometimes it is better to be closer to people.

This space is special because it’s where I grew up and both my neighborhood and house played a big factor in development myself as a human being. Every time I walk around I’m reminded that time goes by super fast without knowing, and that you have to cherish those moments with your family and friends.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 6 months ago by Joseph.

[Afoussata Savane]

In my life my bed became my “reflective space”. Sitting up or laying down on my bed makes me calm, knowing I’m not in the mix, just home in my bed relaxed like a carefree new born baby. As I surround myself with fluffy pillows that my head sinks in like a bean bag chair. As I rest my head on my fluffy pillows I forget about my day as if nothing happened in the last 24 hours such a peaceful feeling. I think of no one but me when I’m on my bed.I don’t care if it’s day or night. My bed gives me a sense of relief when I climb on top of it.

Everyday when you come/go home you want to look forward to something that makes you feel calm and also makes you forget about all the tiring things you did throughout the day. For example, coming from work or school you would want to rest because you’ve either been standing or talking all day. That’s why a bed that you feel comfortable in is something that means so much to you.

Joseph safe place is something everyone can relate to because your home is everything to you if you feel comfortable in it and your family makes the most of it as well. Also a neighborhood also has a huge part in how you grow up and is something that is hard to leave behind.

[Tamara]

I would say my reflective space is my best friend’s apartment. I have always liked living in an apartment. I honestly don’t really know why but it makes me feel more comforted. Maybe its because of the amount of people that are around an apartment building, or because of how many floors there are, or how you could live in one for a whole year and still find a different way to get into the apartment building every other month or so. I move around a lot so I never really had a place that feels like a home besides this place that I have been going to every other weekend for 5 years. Whenever I am at my friend’s apartment I feel so at ease. When I am there I feel like I don’t have to worry about any problems of anything that I’m going through at the moment, which then allows me to have space in my mind to just think and wonder about anything and everything . It’s like I’m taking a break from my life outside the apartment. Every time I leave there it just feels like I was gone from the real world for a while and I’m now I’m stepping back into it with the real life problems and everything that I took a pause on when I was in that apartment.

When you find somewhere where you feel like you can can release all your stress and problems you feel at ease. You feel as if you have freedom. That place then turns into feeling like home. Everyone has a different place they call home. A home is where you feel like you can be you at. And if you feel like you can be you then you will be able to think freely, speak freely, move freely, and live freely without feeling like your going to get attacked or something. When you find that place you then have found your reflective space.

Afoussata I could 100% agree with you. I love sleeping so when I am in my bed I definitely feel calm and comfort. I could also feel that my room could be my reflective space. However like I said I do move a lot so that would probably be like 6 different bedrooms. Though there was that one bed room that I had in 2019 that I really felt so relieved at ease in.

[Anthony]

Places where I have experienced “reflective space” are places like Grand Central Terminal. When I walk in, There is a large room which is the main part of the station. It featured very high ceilings that are heavily ornamented and decorated. The large gaping and pillarless space was large enough to easily handle crowds of people that are constantly walking around the place,trying to get to where they need to go. As I continued exploring the other areas, the large dangling chandeliers and carefully patterned ironworks appeared in the smaller parts of the station. Whether I was in the main hall or a smaller corridor, I still felt like I was in an inspiring and grand area and it felt special just being there despite it still being a normal railway terminal.

The thing that made Grand Central Terminal significant to me is that it was something that was designed to serve a regular purpose, like a typical railway station in this case. However the station goes beyond to make the experience much less bland but instead make it grand and invoke a feeling of being in a palace as a gateway to the city. In general, anything that was designed both to serve a function and act as a masterpiece at the same time is something that fascinates me since it shows the commitment to symbolize that certain aspect as an important piece of infrastructure and bring more attention to the thing that helps keep things functioning.

Tamara, I also agree with you that any space which gives you the chance to reflect and fully be yourself gives you freedom and even a sense of being at home, even if the area is not actually where you currently live.

[Norah Abraham]

My room, the four walls I’ve known for 18 years, a space that has nothing but years of thoughts and memories. Where my childhood lays and where the seasons of life have changed. The sense of relief I get the moment I enter the room after a long stressful day, knowing that I’m safe in the four walls I’m most familiar with. My quiet place that brings nothing but calmness and peace to my mind.

The space that I refer to which happens to be my room, is my special place because its a space in my life that I start my day off with and end it. I believe that others would agree with me because we all have a kind of space that we sit down and reflect on just life, and where we cultivate our dreams, and let go of others.

I agree with Afoussata, my bed definitely plays a big part in my personal sanctuary its some where I just let my thoughts sink in my pillow, and just come to sense of calmness and relaxation.

[Nouman]

In my opinion my reflective space is my house the place where I know I’m safe with everyone and I know that I have someone around me to give me good advice and encourage me to do best in life. The place where everything feels unreal because I have my own time and silent in this house where I can think about important stuff and come up with good decisions that’s best for me and best for my family. This house is the only place that can calm my stress level down I don’t know why maybe it’s because I lived here most of my life which make me not want to leave this place.
After a long busy day when I come back home I have everyone waiting for me to hear me out and listen to me about how my day was , who wouldn’t want that? Home is the place I feel comfortable in and I know that I will be safe around these walls and no one will disturb me. And I believe this space that I’m talking about means a lot for others as well because they also want to be safe and have someone around them all the time and good adviser that they can trust.
I agree with you afoussata after a long day bed is the only place you want to go in. I can relate to you as well because we all think of one thing when we get home and it’s our bed because it’s comfy and we would like to have little nap before go do something that little nap after busy day is the best thing to do because your tiredness will vanish away.

[Jean Lucas]

In my life, my room became my reflective space. Coming back home from school every day and going to my room and sleep until evening felt so good than having this creative thinking at night when it came to doing my school projects. Having Legos that I’ve built when I was a kid just helps me distract myself when I’m angry or not feeling well. My room helps me be stress-free as I could read some books peacefully and do my homework as well. every time a enter my room I have a new feeling that makes me happy,

The things that made my room my reflective space is the things i have around such as my bed, videogames and i guess the color of my room, I could say that my room is a big comfort zone and a place where i could think about the things i did and see how i did. I feel like my room is where all my dreams and ideas come to mind.

I agree with nouman because having a house is a very safe place and a good place to give advice.

[Kevin Sierra]

A reflective space refers to an area that allows a person to take a moment and grasp what their reality truly is,To reflect and assess themselves.Although it is not the most conventional “reflective space” my space was my boxing gym. This place is essentially just a very large and wide room that has heavy bags and all other sorts of equipment.Although there is equipment there isn’t a lot but the beauty of that is the sounds coming from the fairly bare space emulate all throughout the room.The gym would become my reflective space as it helped me find myself and it also helped me find things in myself that I didn’t know were there before.

What made this place special to me is that it taught me things like patience,humility,passion and dedication and these were all things that I desperately needed in my life. Before I found the gym I would lack all of the previously mentioned things but this place helped me find it by building a routine and adding some sort of structure to my life.I did this by going to the gym and listening to what my coach told me,by going on the days that i was tired and didn’t feel like going and finally by letting me release some of the anger that was eating me up.I learned so much from my time spent there and it is the gym where i can truly look at myself and see what I need to improve on,not just the physical aspect but in the mental aspect as well. Although it is a place of physical contact and violence ironically it is the one place in the world where i feel a total sense of peace and serenity.

I agree with Nouman when he says that there are people in his house that encourage him and give him good advice as in my reflective space I feel the same way.He then talks about his room as a place of seclusion in which no one can disturb him and this is key to being able to gather your thoughts and hence reflect.

[Armando Rodriguez]

In my life i’ve had two reflective spaces. One being a empty Concrete parking and the other being my house in the middle of the night. Being 12 i wasn’t the person that i am today but it was the start of me becoming into who i am now. My parents used to have a business in the bronx and my only source of entertainment was the public park complex nearby. There used to be a big field nearby where all the kids would play soccer however i was very shy and very out of shape at the time so i opted to practice shooting the ball at a empty parking lot that was nearby. I remember that place very fondly. The sound the steel gates would make whenever i took a shot with the ball, and how i would always aim at a rusty spot that the gate had in the top right corner. I spent 2 years of my life being there every day so i remember every square inch of the place of the place .Whenever me and my cousin would get tired we would at a big concrete slab that housed a few trees in it. It was the bronx though and we would always find burnt out cigarettes, condoms, needles thrown inside the part where the trees grow.Although it was somewhat lonesome i remember how that big parking lot would reverberate our every move, shot ,and shout. I even remember how the concrete of the walls felt, rugged and worn out as i would run my fingers on the wall. I love this place with all my heart despite all of its flaws and its the first and only thing i thought of when i heard “reflective space” .
What makes this a reflective space to me is that it was a place where i found comfort and wisdom where others would’ve found a mundane, grey and uninteresting setting. This is a place where i found change that i had been looking for at the time i found it. For two years it was the only form of escape and fun that i had. It’s where i found a passion and slowly mastered a craft for the first time. It’s where i learned to push myself further than anyone else i knew and its where i sharpened my tools as a person really. Whenever something went wrong in my life i would turn to this place where i had time to think and breathe fresh air until i came up with a solution somehow. I love that empty parking garage.
Responding to Kevin i feel like his story and my story are very similar in their themes about growth and change both mentally and physically. I feel what resonated with me the most about his story is finding some sense of connection or endearment with a inanimate place/object where many others wouldn’t and using those things to find peace or something else useful to us.

[Joseph]

I agree with afoussata because after a long vacation you get excited to be back and see your bed, or when you been outside all day it’s always nice to rest in your bed.

[Arjay Rajapa]

My bed has become my reflective space throughout the years. whenever I had problems or I was struggling with life I would go there and just calm myself down I would rest. when I used to get bullied in school I would come cry in my bed and I realized later on that my bed would always be there and offer my a sense of comfort. having my soft but cold covers chill my body then after a time it warmed my heart.

what made this a reflective space was the sense of comfort it offered. it made me feel safe and it made me realize many things about my self. it was the light at the end of the tunnel for me. I just really enjoy my bed.

I can agree to Jean, I understand what he’s talking about and I can relate to everything he’s said.