“Find your place. Be happy with what you have. Treat everyone well. Live a good life. It isn’t about material things; it’s about love.”
― Vicki Myron y Bret Witter
A happy place doesn’t have to be a place. It can be a feeling, a thought, a state of mind. Sometimes it can be a walk in nature, or time taken to play with our kids. The only requirement is that it nourishes us and fills us up.
But we have a place. A physical location where we are able to relax, regroup, and rewind. A place where we don’t care about time or what’s for supper, we just are. We swim when we want, explore when we want, read when we want, and engage or not engage with everyone else that happens to be there – depending on how we feel at the moment.
We take a nap. Sit in the sun. Slide on the snow. Play games, drink, laugh, and work. And it’s understood that this is our place – that was created for us – and is our refuge and our shelter. Our parents created it, and our family sustains it.
It was an old building, hand-built in the 1960’s. Decorated with dibs and dabs of housewares, sentiments, photos and fabric. It grew with us. The ever-evolving old rocking chairs and furniture being replaced and repurposed. It contained the babies, the splashing kids, and the sulky teenagers who thought it would be more fun to be somewhere else. But it never was. This place welcomed you in – it wrapped the tall timber branches around your shoulders and let you know that you had a right to be here.
It is a honeymoon suite. It is a retreat. It is a place to gather and a place to be alone. It just is. No matter when you make the journey, it is there to welcome you and keep you warm. Unlocking the door and smelling the fresh scent of the water and woods brings you right back to the memories and feelings of love and belonging.
And although the strong, repurposed beams and boards are no longer there, it remains the same. The feelings, the joy, the peace is there. We are all a little older. The next generation of young people and babies are filling it now, cooking the food, doing the work, and creating the memories, but it still remains – ours, mine, yours – for all time.
~ Thank you for keeping the dream alive. It defines us.
Terry Kempfert Creative 