“Close your eyes and relax. Imagine your happy place,” the teacher said.
“My happy place?” I asked.
“Your happy place, yes. Somewhere that makes you feel calm, serene, safe,” the teacher replied.
I thought on this for a while, to all the times that have made me feel like that lately. I thought back to last summer on the beach with my girlfriend, watching the tide come in and out while getting tanned with the sand under our feet. I remember sitting under the great oak tree with her, watching the sunset over the city skyline and all of the beautiful oranges and purples that lit up the night sky. I remember going hiking with her up Mt. Kilimanjaro and, when we got to the summit, gazing at the mountaintops and noticing how all my problems felt so small. But as I thought back to all of these memories, I realized that the thing that made me feel calm, serene, and safe wasn’t the stunning views of mother nature.
It was her.