Where in our lives do we find the pocket of peace?
My happy place can depend on my mood or the season. One of my happy places is my kitchen. I’m not ashamed to tell you that chocolate chip cookies can cure most problems. I don’t actually eat them (except for one or two, warm from the oven) It’s the act of the mixing and baking that calms me. By the time I am done, looking at all the warm cookies, I have gained some perspective on the problem that I am contemplating.
For a friend of mine, her happy place is running or hiking in nature looking for rocks. I’m not a fan of the running part, but something about being surrounded by trees calls to me- it could be all those summers at camp. I felt very much at home at camp, even with no electricity or bathrooms in the cabin. Now, I am happy to get my nature fix in a nearby park with a waterfall.
My favorite quiet place of all is in a convent in Nevers, France. St. Gildard. It’s the mother house of the Sisters of Charity (Les Soeurs de la Charité) and is also where you can find St. Bernadette. I do love the chapel, but it’s very busy with the pilgrims and the tourists, so the corner of the garden is my place. You can forget that you are in the middle of a city and simply be. I have been fortunate to visit five times and each time I still feel right at home. It’s not just the welcome you receive when you stay, it’s also the thought that you are walking, eating, and sleeping where a saint walked, ate, and slept. It’s peaceful.
Where is your happy place? I describe my happy place as a place, but it’s actually with you all of the time. It’s the quiet place in your mind/heart. Whether it is in your kitchen, car, favorite chair, or hiking trail, it’s really just the place where you can stop for a few moments and just be. Listen to the silence. Take a few moments today to be still and go there. You may find that your happy place is right where you are right now.
