Go to your happy place. A saying I have heard before, but have never really undertood what it meant. As simple as the concept is, visit a comforting situation in your mind to gain a certain feeling, it doesn’t resonate with me. Yes there are things in my life that make me happy, but they don’t make me feel like I am in a “happy place.” Most likely because I am a contrary bastard who just doesn’t like the way that saying sounds. When I envision a happy place I think of physical locations. Places that I enjoy being.
1. Home Bathrooms – In my home growing up my siblings and I didn’t have locks on our doors. I understand the concept and never had an issue with it, yet the lack of privacy left me seeking a refuge where I could be by myself away from everyone else. Fortunately for me the bathroom was just such a place. This was the only spot where I could have complete and total privacy since there was a lock. I probably exploited that fact for all it was worth since I would routinely spend several hours at a time locked in the bathroom. Reading books while sitting on the toilet until my legs went to sleep was where the process usually began. Once I had my fill of reading I would move on to bathing where I’d fall asleep in the tub. Mom and Dad would routinely knock to make sure I hadn’t drowned myself (which was probably closer to happening than I realized). To this day the bathroom of the place I live is where I feel most relaxed, and come up withsome of my best ideas.
2. On the road – Driving is a pretty cathartic activity for me. There are lots of nice places in this country, and lots of great views which are available for viewing if you just drive. By myself or with friends it doesn’t matter. Simply being out on the road on a crisp fall day driving through the Appalachain region of the country is one of my favorite places of all time.
3. Hugs – If you have met me in person, chances are you have been hugged by me. I am without question a huggy person. Call me needy, but I crave physical attention from those I care for, and experiencing a loving embrace with those people takes me to a happy place. If I have to be more specific I would say laying in bed in the arms of someone I love, but only if I have to be more specific.
4. Sports bars – Any place with huge TVs, sports memorabalia, alcohol, and cute women in shorts (think Buffalo Wild Wings not Hooters) is A-OK in my book. What’s not to love? I have spent at least a portion of my birthday celebration in sports bars for the past5 years because they are my favorite place to be. My life was severely thrown off by living in a city in California were there were no real sports bar, and a really shitty bar that was supposed to be a sports bar. Needless to say I moved.
5. Libraries – People tend to not talk to me when I am in the library which generally makes me happy. Reliable wireless connections and access to reading material I might otherwise be hardpressed to find make this a perfect place for me to spend time. I don’t know that it is in my top 5 all time, but it is worthy of inclusion in this list.
List 5 places you enjoy being.
List 5 
October 24, 2008 at 1:12 pm
1. Busch Gardens-Tampa:
Other than for the obvious reasons, it holds a lot of memories from many times in my life. I have been there on school trips, with family, with good friends. I rode my first roller coaster there. I love the animals and they give away free beer. What else could you want?
2. On a mountain peak:
Not many things are as rewarding for a hard days work as a mountain view. You get exercise, get outdoors, and get a great perspective. You feel like you really accomplished something and along the way you get a lot of time to think.
3. On a golf course:
Pretty obvious if you know me. I spend a lot of time golfing, not only because the Maine summers are short, but because few things in life humble you as well or put your shortcomings on display for everyone to see. I not only work on my golf game, but on my disposition and patience.
4. In bed:
Sleep. I don’t get enough of it. Not that I really love to sleep, it is more that I love to stay up late and sleep in. Not to mention the other fun stuff that goes on!
5. On a baseball diamond:
It is the playground of my childhood and the place where I most excelled. I have so many priceless memories of the people and the events that took place on or around a ball field. I wish I could live perpetually in a home run trot.
October 25, 2008 at 1:54 am
1. My bed! –>
i have the most comfortable bed EVER!!! i love it sooooo much!
2. Bookstores–> The smell of new pages and ink relaxes me instantly
3. With my friends…’nuff said
4. With my mom…again ’nuff said
5. band fields…too many god memories to count
October 25, 2008 at 6:43 am
1. New Orleans – I’ve been there no less than 10 times and always with my best friend. Most of the stories probably aren’t funny to anybody who wasn’t there, but a couple of them- the time we tried to steal a street sign, the time Karen’s Dad almost got arrested for shouting “Somebody’s dunkin doughnuts!” – I think I’ve already included somewhere in earlier entries. Anyway, I love everything about it. The Creole cottages and the Antebellum homes, the way it smells like garbage on one street and gumbo on the next , the crazy people who think they’re vampires, Jazz Fest, Bourbon St., Cafe du Monde, Jackson Square, names like Ponchartrain and Tchopotoulis (have no idea if I spelled that right). Every trip we did nothing but laugh and eat and … come to think of it, we almost got arrested several times…
2. North Carolina – My first extended stay Summer Camp experience took place in Brevard, North Carolina. Even though the counselors made the younger campers cry by ripping open their teddy bears to look for candy contraband, I made good memories there. Like the time my troop’s counselors took us senior campers on a field trip to Wal-Mart and on the way back to camp let us play in the gravel pits that keep trucks from careening off the side of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Good times.
But Camp Kahdalea doesn’t get its own spot in my happy places list because it’s really just one out of a hundred reasons why North Carolina is a favorite place of mine. The view from the Appalachian Mountains is another. And the way the air is always crisp at least some part of the day, and how the dirt sparkles when it dries on your skin because of all the mineral deposits. Then there’s the legend of the albino squirrel. And the fact that Ben and Megan live there.
3. Watching football – Any game anywhere is a source of comfort for me. It reminds me of coming home after church when I was little, trading my snooty dress and itchy tights for an oversized sweatshirt and a pair of hole-y jeans (one of the most satisfying things in the world), and sprawling on the den floor to watch AL play. My dad and brothers would cheer when AL was awarded an automatic first down and yell when the ref threw a flag and I would just yell randomly because at the time I had no idea what was going on. But I still did well in the front yard “touch” games that we played during halftime.
4. On the river – Never been much of an ocean person. I appreciate its vastness, the fact that sharks live there, the evening breeze coming off the water and the way it looks at sunset, but the river is where I prefer to go when I find myself growing grim about the mouth. The Tennessee River, to be precise. Cranes and egrets dot the shore, it’s beautiful to canoe under moonlight and you can cruise from (I believe) Chattanooga to New Orleans on the historic steamboat “Delta Queen.” I’ve never taken that trip, but when the draw bridge was still erect in Decatur, we used to ride our bikes up to the middle to greet the passengers of the Delta Queen. Later, the modernized Mississippi and American Queens came through, which were tall enough that the folks on board could throw us steamboat collector coins. My favorite river activity is skiing. I am very much at peace slaloming away from the boat, across the wake to reach the smooth water, where the only thing I hear is a soft shushing as I cut through the glass beneath me. Flying on a raft behind a boat that’s twisting and turning at 40 mph, carving waves so big they pop you up at least 6 feet in the air, also has its charms.
5. In a theatre – I prefer to have my hands in it: constructing sets, building props and costumes, assistant directing. I get more nervous running tech than I’ve ever been performing. Just sitting in the audience, though, is exciting. Doesn’t matter if the production is an experimental William Burroughs/Robert Wilson/Tom Waits collaboration or a crappy high school talent show; when the house lights dim and the curtain parts, I’m in a happy place. Of course, I’m in a happier place when I’m back stage, on stage, in the green room, behind the curtain or waiting in the wings. It’s exhilarating.
October 29, 2008 at 8:53 pm
1) Bookstores – Especially good used ones, but a Barnes & Noble will do. Being surrounded by books and ideas is very claming and and an encouragement to me. When I’m upset, or feel poorly, I’ll slip into a bookstore, usually not even to buy anything but a sweet unexpected deal. When I was little and would be sick and stay home from school, my mom would sneak me off to teh library to check out five or six books to read all day, so tat my be part of it.
2) My classroom – I probably spend more time in my room, when school is out of session, than any teacher at our school. My history books and my history stuff are there and I always can do a better job if I just have a little more time. I just linger there in my domain.
3) Pressbox of high school football games
– For half of the ten years I coached varsity football I was a pressbox coach, and for the last three years I’ve been the radio announcer for my school. I love football, I can’t help it, I was raised that way. In the pressbox I can see everything, I can breakdown what I see and share it with whoever is on the other end of my headphones, coach or fan. It’s the best way to see it, largely removed from the cloudiness of emotion and the proximity to violence. It allows me to be of the game, but not of the crowd. It’s perfect.
4) Online – I love information and instant access to it. I love communication that I can control. Having a good chance of finding out just about anything in seconds is so incredible to someone who used to collect almanacs and reference books so I could answer almost any factual question.
5) Standing and eating, especially food that has been recently cooked over an open flame by me and my friends. There is little better – except eating out with my gal – when we eat out and there is no one else there, no pets, or computer, or TV and we get to talk, it’s the best.
October 30, 2008 at 9:46 am
1.) I enjoy being at home. It’s a stress free environment. I watch movies and sports and sleep. It’s all good. I love being home.
2.) I like being in Hopkinsville with my family. There’s nothing like being around my folks. We have a blast every day that I’m there.
3.) Commonwealth Stadium… I’ve been there one time, but it’s a great environment. It’s very underrated. But it gets loud and the fans are awesome. I hope to get back there really soon.
4.) Buffalo Wild Wings is a place I like being. It’s mostly because if I’m there, I’m with my friends and we’re having a lot of fun. I guess you can substitute several venues for BWW.
October 30, 2008 at 4:00 pm
1. Downtown Seattle – something about being in such a beautiful busy place, makes me feel small… and relaxed. Everyone is doing their own thing and you can just be yourself without having people judge you, etc.
2. My room – I’ve finally spend oodles of money and time decorating the damn thing and making it exactly what I want… and it’s perfect. If it had a little kitchen and bathroom inside it, I’d never leave my room.
3. Libraries (but big ones) and bookstores – I enjoy being surrounded by books and I enjoy finding new ones. I tend to get a little slutty in stores and test out some books prior to buying, etc. I enjoy finding things worth reading. Books calm me.
4. Parks – I’m not huge on hiking. I wear dresses nearly every day and prefer to stay clean, no dirt. But I do love parks. With a nice blanket and a picnic basket, I make wonders happen. Parks are relaxing and the sight of little kids playing always makes me smile.
5. Swings – I really love sitting on a swing and thinking problems out. There was a swing set in the refugee camp that we were at – it was always the place to go when shit happened. I still feel that way.