Last night I was waffling a bit about what today’s Firestarter post would be. Well, thank you to a couple of different factors, a night of relaxed typing quickly turned into a total mess. So one idea ended up making more sense than any others. So if you had a rough week and need to clear your mind for some time, go to your happy place.
I know it’s an overused phrase: “go to your happy place” sounds kind of hokey. But it’s doesn’t just have to be something you joke about after yet another meeting you wanted to sleep through. Taking a few minutes to think about a favorite place you’ve been can do a lot to calm you down and get you in a better mindset for whatever you want to get done.
Personally, I have a few happy places. A few spots in Montana and Minnesota are always favorites that I wander back to in my head. There is also one particular library in Chicago that stole my heart. I really would’ve gotten married there if it wasn’t so darn far away. We can visit some of those later, but today I’ll share a bit about my Grandparents ranch.
The more you visit Daydream House and read, the more you will find I am much more a country person than a city one. The ranch probably had a bit to do with that. It’s the spot of land in South Dakota where my dad grew up, so naturally, we went there a fair amount when I was growing up. It’s one of the few places on the planet where I actually want to get up early instead of pull the covers over my head. I got to spend time playing outside, petting bucket calves and getting eggs from the hens. It was pretty much a perfect vacation every time. I got all the romance of ranch life without any of the actual real, hard work most people don’t think about.
For our one-year anniversary, my husband and I went to a big family gathering at the ranch. My grandparent’s 50th anniversary was two days after ours, so it was a pretty big deal all around. E got to see the ranch for the first time and I got to relax and snap a few photos. Now those are a regular part of my “happy place” mental file.
Where ever your happy place is, find a way to surround yourself with reminders of it. Maybe you need a picture hanging by your desk at work (I know I do). Put one on your fridge or in your bag. If there is a song or some item tied to that place, make sure it’s not tucked away. Good experiences are meant to be re-lived. Make sure that when you are feeling stressed or like you are lacking creative juice, take a few minutes to mentally be somewhere else. It can be a really good way to unblock and get creative.
So get out there, have a great weekend and make something sweet!
daydreamhouse 