Where do you go when . . .

you've lost something you cannot find?

Solitude © Kathryn LeRoy

Hello friend,

I tangled myself around a swirl of worries.

So, I stepped outside to gather my thoughts and feelings. The wind chime sang a soft, unnamed melody, Carolina wrens called to each other through the trees, and butterflies flitted between the lantana and fading zinnias. The bee hovered on a yellow bloom suspended mid-air.

Happy Bee © Kathryn LeRoy

We finished dinner, cleaned the dishes, and as the day’s heat eased away, ducks and geese flew over the house, reminding us, “It’s time.” He fills the cup with seed.  I grab the cushion.

We head to the swing under the black willow—the conversation tree. That’s where we watch fish circles in the lake. We reminisce, make plans, and embrace now. We recharge love and feed our relationship, and sometimes, we don’t talk at all. We listen to birdsongs. The last rays of the sun slip below the horizon as clouds capture all the colors—nature’s light show.

A Place for Conversation © Kathryn LeRoy

I’m stuck. All the words have disappeared, escaped, and gone to sit in someone else’s brain. Sentences rumble and collapse in a heap of nonsense. Still worse, the words refuse to come out and play. I pace around the kitchen counter and look out the window. Nope. No words out there either.

I buckle my helmet, wiggle my fingers into each glove, set the workout on my watch to “outdoor cycle,” turn out of the drive and breathe deeply. The wind rushes past. I listen to the whir of wheels against the pavement and watch squirrels and deer busy doing what squirrels and deer do.

Let’s Ride © Kathryn LeRoy

I envy them.

They don’t have phones, no worries, or loud voices streaming news from devices. Nothing distracts them from what matters most. But me? I need to renew, refresh, recharge, relieve, and relinquish the burdens burrowing holes in my heart and mind.

When this happens, the only way out is in.

My happy place.

Everyone should have one—that place, situation, or environment where you feel happiest, most secure, and peaceful.

“Wherever you go, there you are.”
—Jon Kabit-Zinn

Make it a happy place.

Another Happy Place—Sunset on the Beach © Kathryn LeRoy

One day, I caught the bluebirds enjoying their happy place.

Swedish psychologist Katarina Blom shares a few secrets because you don’t find happiness, you create it.

Wherever your happy place might be, here’s some music to make you smile: Dancing Queen by ABBA, Happy by Pharrell Williams, and Get Happy by Judy Garland.

“Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy.”
—Anne Frank

Writing, Reading, Creating, Happy Place © Kathryn LeRoy

If you would like to read more, visit my website. I’ll be there waiting for you.

With gratitude,

Kathryn

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