Chronicles: Find That Happy Place

I know, for sure, it has to exist, somewhere, within each of us lies a space that is bright, sparkly, airy and the grass is really green.  Yesterday was a wonderful day for me, and I cherish those days, the weather was perfect, I went for a run and I accomplished what I had set for myself that day.  There is something about checking off my list that gives me the biggest inner smile.

For some reason, looking at my day in bite-sized pieces does wonders for my psyche.

But some days, there is a little dark cloud that sits about my head and dumps rain on everything I set my hand to.  That little space I mentioned earlier?  Yeah. Gone.  The flowers trampled and muddy puddles everywhere.  I find myself fighting with the little black, dumpy cloud and looking for a little respite in the mental storm.
It’s not always easy.

But just as easily as that little cloud can circle over my head, full of worries, concerns or grief, I am learning how to push through it to find the tiny sparkles and bright spots to dwell on.

I was talking to a dear friend yesterday and they were sharing a little of their dark cloud woes with me.   As I listened, something struck me and I asked, abruptly, “what drives you?  what makes you tick?  what do you love?  what do you live for?  Find those things and think on them.”  Yes, re-focusing really helps to remove that ominous cloud from overhead and replace it with a little bit of sunshine.

For me, my sunshine is made up of my children’s smiles and their little hands touching my face, my husband’s voice and the way he cares for us, my dad’s encouraging words, my sisters’ love for me, my mom’s maternal intuition…that is what I focus on.  The positive.  That’s what my happy place is made up of.  Each petal is a kind word, an encouraging smile from someone who loves me.  Each sparkle is a giggle from my children…

I have the perfect little happy place…full of love.