Saturday, March 8, 2008

i've lost my happy place

I am (how many times have I said this?) a person who needs a lot of downtime. I need a lot of downtime! And it's not just that I'm lately overcommitted with outings and get-togethers and my own self-imposed, ever-growing and totally daunting to-do list. I need the mental escape, or else I become mental. I mean, it's a really hard thing to take away from a person, like even if you were in prison and got in trouble and had to sit in The Hole for a month, at least you'd have your thoughts. Or maybe that would be a bad thing. Maybe I've just seen Shawshank Redemption too many times and am way too enamored with that Mozart scene. But that's always been a source of solace for me, the ability, the right, the capacity to self-reflect. Recently, I seem to have lost my little happy place where I go to think. If I could just have it back for a little bit each day even. Could we work out a visitation schedule? Or do I need to pay a ransom.

Missing: Pen's Happy Place

General Description: Reflection, pondering, deep thoughts like Jack Handy. A little quiet. No screaming or whining. A period of true solitude, however brief. The freedom to blog and email, connect with the outside world, but also zone out a little. Planning and dreaming. Aspirations. Organization. Patience. A smile. A deep breath, a shower. The sun shining or the rain falling, it doesn't matter, and maybe a gentle breeze.

Suspects in this case: Possibly stolen, kidnapped, trampled, and/or mangled by two very needy small persons. But also maybe it's Pen's fault, for not well enough guarding the Happy Place.

Rescue Plan: Glass of wine, some ear plugs? Dispatch of a search and rescue team. And a concerted effort on Pen's part to demand repossession, to find it and take it back.

3 comments:

Cue said...

ohmygod -- ditto, ditto, ditto. I need a retreat that lasts longer than a bath with the earplugs and the wine. Let's run away, shall we?

Kim said...

Maybe our happy places defected to the same place? We ought to get together and pool our resources. I have some Ben Folds and Simon and Garfunkel CDs that might aid in the search...

Anonymous said...

I feel you. I'm afraid I'll lose my happy place when I go back to work this week. Well, not this week, but when we get in the middle of things and I'm helping take care of eight whiny big people :)