Where is Your "Happy" Place?

By Starla Kaye

Get your mind out the gutter, people! I’m not talking about “you know where.”

I’m talking about where in your everyday world or your home do you consider the place where you are happiest.

Do you have a favorite room where you go for privacy? Or maybe for some “special time” with someone you love? Do you have a favorite piece of furniture? Maybe a nice, comfy chair where you can plant yourself for some quality writing time? Or how about a long, body-soothing sofa where you can stretch out and fade away into a good book?

I live in a garden home (patio home, whatever you want to call a fairly small home with little maintenance), so there aren’t a lot of rooms. It’s perfect for the two of us and there isn’t a lot of extra space to have to clean. For me, my favorite room depends on the mood I’m in at the moment. The walls of our living room hold special paintings from artist friends, a 3’ x 3’ composite photo thing of favorite family pictures my daughter had created for us, and most of the small hanging quilts I’ve made. When I want to feel surrounded by those memories, that’s where you’ll find me.

The master bedroom is painted pale lavender and has my over-stuffed bookshelves and tons of little keepsakes friends and family have given me. The walls have a fun Paris street scene to look at and just enjoy, a photo frame collage of memorable photos from a trip to France, and a large tapestry of a porch with comfortable chairs to sit in and some beautiful plants to look at. I love to lie in bed and just think of sitting on that porch and I can almost smell the flowers. My husband doesn’t mind the room, even if it is a bit girlie. His totally right opinion is that if it makes me happy, then he’s happy.

When the weather is good, I like to go out and get comfortable on my back patio. I get the pillows around me just right on the sofa-sized seat and put my laptop in my lap. Then with a gentle breeze flowing around me and breathing in fresh air, I can settle in to work on my newest writing project. Right now I’m still trying to finish up several different stories for Decadent. I need to have more time for devoting only to them, but life keeps getting in the way.

Speaking of when life keeps getting in the way or wearing you down… At those times, I like to escape to another of my favorite “happy” places, the main bathroom with its big whirlpool bathtub. I can close the bathroom door, turn on whatever music hits me right at the time (or none at all), maybe light a candle or two, fill the tub with bubble bath, grab the latest paperback I’m reading or flip open my mini iPad to a Kindle book, and just veg in there until…until I’m ready to get out.

Now, what about you? Share some of what makes you happy.