Remembering Past Happy Places, and my Happy Place Now.

I was visiting a few sites and saw that this month’s edition for the PFAM (Patient’s For A Moment) blog carnival hosted by FibroDAZE asks “Where’s Your Happy Place?”

This really started me thinking of how my “Happy Place” has changed over the years.

When I was a little girl I had a couple of “Happy Places”.  One was my closet.  It wasn’t a very big closet, but I loved to take everything out of the floor, and just play in there, I even remember camping out in my closet.  On the same note I had a toy that was like this big tunnel tube, I loved it.  Both of these places gave me a quiet place for me to go and think…or hide…and let my imagination run wild.

My tube was bright Green, with a design on it. But you get the idea.

My next “Happy Place” that I remember was my “tree house”…

This is a tree house palace compared to mine...but I loved it.

I “tree house” put that in quotes, because it was really just boards I nailed together as a makeshift ladder to get up in a tree, and a couple of boards wedged in the branches to sit on.  But oh how I loved it…and the happy times I spent there.  Again, a place I could go to think, hide, be by myself….and let my imagination run.

When I was a teenager, I had 2 “Happy Places”.  One was right down the road from where we lived.  There was a family who had horses.  I used to sneak on their property and visit the horses.  After a while, I started to brush them, and groom them….one day I was caught.  Luckily, the family was very nice, and offered to let me ride any time I wanted as long as I continued to come and take such loving care of their horses.  (What a deal!  I was 14, and considered this my first job.)  On the back of those horses, I felt free!  Safe, and happy!  I had a purpose…and I loved every minute of it.

Me, just a few years ago at Long Beach, CA. As you can see, still a Happy Place for me.

My other “Happy Place” when I was a teen…and I admit it is still a very Happy Place for me…is the beach.  We used to live a little over an hour from the beach. When ever I was having a hard time, my mom would say, “Let’s go to the Beach today!”  We’d take off, and spend the day at Huntington State Park   (near, Myrtle Beach, SC).  It was a bit secluded, we would take a picnic and just have the day together…and by the time we left, what ever was on my mind, what ever was troubling me…well my mom knew all about it, and always seem to make it better.  The beach was our special place, and still whenever I get a chance to go to there, I can feel my mother’s presence.  (Unfortunately, I can’t go as often as I used to.)

The Jockey - One of my paintings from college.

In college, my “Happy Place” was in the Art Studios at school.  I was at peace there.  I was in my element.  A friend once told me that she loved art, but I ate, drank, and slept with it!  It was my life…my how things have changed.  I miss that girl.  (I was excited last week when there was a Painting Category on Jeopardy, and I answered every question right!  Perhaps I still know a thing or two?)  When we bought our house, I planned for my art studio to be my Happy Place, but things just haven’t worked out that way.  Hopefully, I’ll begin to feel it again soon, but for now, it’s mainly just a room that stores all my art supplies.  It kind of makes me sad…all the potential…but still full of a lot of hope, and vision for the future.  If you are a regular reader of this blog, you will know that I’m currently trying to find my artist within again.  I’m sure she’s in there, look forward to meeting more of her soon.

This week I’ve been thinking about where I feel the happiest.  Admittedly, I’ve been going through a rough patch, and a happy place can be a bit hard to find.  So I thought…and thought…I remembered all my past happy places, but they just didn’t seem to fit now.  Then I felt it…the warmth enveloped around me…and I knew I was in My Happy Place.

Where is my Happy Place Now?

I kept coming to the same conclusion:

In my husband's arms! My Happy Place!!

and with my little Family!