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Welcome to this online journal for caregivers to the dying or bereaved—important and challenging work, for sure! My goal is to support you by providing inspirational thoughts, pertinent resources, and suggestions for self-care. With appreciation for all you do!

- Rebecca Hauder

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Go to Your Happy Place

Go to Your Happy Place

July 2, 2019

When you leave a beautiful place, you carry it with you wherever you go.     ~Alexandra Stoddard

Two months ago I had a cortisone injection in my knee. Before inserting the long needle, Dr. K.told me to go to my “happy place.” My mind flitted from the seashore to the mountains, not landing on any one particular scene as he injected the medication into my injured knee.

Riding bicycle on Washington’s Lopez Island a few weeks later, I rediscovered what used to be my go to “happy place.” However, I had forgotten all about it until I returned 20 years later. To my delight, Center church was still there, atop a hill overlooking rolling green fields dotted with grazing sheep and cattle.

Fortunately, the door was unlocked so I tip-toed into the quiet modest sanctuary, sat down on one of the old wooden pews, and gazed out of the simple but exquisite stained glass window. A sense of calm came over me and an awareness of being in “thin space”— a place where the distance between heaven and earth feels thinner, God or the Divine feels closer, and you feel more at peace. I immediately knew why this had been my “happy place” in the past and why I wanted to reclaim it in the future when I need a to feel centered and calm.

Where is your Happy Place? Try going there in your mind, especially when you feel frazzled or anxious and need a moment to relax.

 

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