My happy place...
Do you have a place where you feel like you can go and unwind, refresh, refocus? A place where you can just be. There are no schedules, no expectations, no deadlines. A place where you feel more like yourself, where stress melts away, and you spend time doing things that you love. Where is that place? Is it in your home, on the beach, by a lake, in the mountains? Is it in the car, on a trail, at a museum, during a concert, on the couch, at the gym? Does your place include others, or are you all alone? What is your happy place?
Mine is at Findley Lake. A remote little lake and town just beyond the New York border. It's tiny, it's peaceful, it's everything. Findley Lake holds a great tradition in my family. My mom's family first built a cottage here in the 1950's, and as a little girl, my mom would spend the entire summer at the lake with her grandmother and cousins. I, personally, don't remember a summer not being at the lake. This is where my sister and I made endless memories with our three cousins, like playing kick the bucket at night while dodging bats, going on hunts for salamanders to use as bait for fishing, using an oven mitt from the kitchen to take the fish off the hook (I still do this), taking adventures to the treehouse and being lost in the woods for hours, pretending to be locals while getting our nightly ice cream, skiing five around the lake believing we were celebrities (but we kind of are), eating way too many s'mores, and snuggling by the campfire with the rest of the family. We wouldn't spend the entire summer at the lake, but it was all my sister and I ever remember about "summer." It was everything. We could just be, laugh, and explore. We grew up here and learned some of life's hardest and greatest lessons.
*Be sure to click on the image below, there are more to see from the past*
The year after my grandmother passed away, my parents decided to build on a piece of property they owned. It is just down the road from the old cottage and placed us right across the street from the dock and a little bit closer to the ice cream shop. My family still makes memories up the road, but we also have this place. I love my time at the lake because it allows me to just be.
Growing up, the lake was all about play, it still is, but now I get to see the experience through my children's eyes. It's a magical backdrop that allows for your imagination to run wild, but also as an adult it's a place for your soul to settle, your heart to calm, and your mind to ease. It's a place where work and the needs of your home disappear - too far away to worry and your senses are bombarded with so much beauty you no longer care. It's a place that forces you to be present and this brings a rejuvenation to your daily grind. There is no daily checklist, it's comfortable, it's easy, it's everything that I need in my summer.
As a teacher, I am lucky to have my summers off, but gosh do I need it! My colleagues and I are so immersed in our craft, and for those teachers who are perfectionists like myself, you are constantly stretching yourself, reading, implementing new strategies, this a never ending cycle to be better for my students. So when May shows up, I'm exhausted. This place, Findley Lake, is exactly what I need to cleanse, restart, and energize my spirit. We all need this place in our life, and it may look different for all of us, but it's necessary.
*The image below is also a slideshow, be sure to click on the image to see more memories we have made*
So I'm posting about my favorite place, from my favorite place and to be honest it's not the peaceful, relaxing vibe at the moment. The twins are 15 months and into everything, then add the fact that there are two, oh yes and three others, it's hard. It's challenging when you aren't in your normal environment, where you have everything figured out, but we will find a flow and it won't be perfect, but the memories are what matters most. Memories my children make with my parents, their extended family, each other, as well as Mo and I. Years from now, Mo and I will sit on the same deck overlooking the lake and laugh about, but also long for, this crazy time.
Where's your happy place? Where do you go to find yourself again and strengthen what's at the very core of who you are?
