My Happy Place

Today I had one of those days, the kind where you don’t know whether to laugh or cry at times and to be honest I did some of both.

When this happens there are a variety of ways that I use to process my experience and to cope. As evidence here on my blog, one of my outlets is writing and sharing.

However sometimes I just want to escape, go somewhere and forget my troubles. Sometimes I literally go somewhere, as in on a run or to a group fitness class (exercise is a huge stress reliever for me). Other times I will escape virtually through praying, meditating, listening to music, reading a book, a magazine, other blogs and/or watching a favorite movie or television show. (Have I mentioned how much I love Parenthood?!)

Another way I get away from it all, when I can’t physically go somewhere, is to go to one of my “happy places.” I do this by closing my eyes and imagining that I am in one of my favorite places, such as the beach on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina (where my maternal grandparents retired to in 1979, lived until the late 1990’s before their deaths and I have many happy childhood memories of).

Lately, when I need a quick pick me up, I have found a new “happy place” that I like to visit. I go and watch some of my favorite video clips on YouTube, including this one (which my fellow University of Illinois alumni may appreciate and have probably seen already). Watching them are one of my simple pleasures in life and help me to get my mind off whatever might be clouding my vision.

So where do you go when you need to escape your reality now and then? Where are your “happy places?” What helps you to cope and feel better when you are having an off day?

I will leave you with my current favorite YouTube video the History of Rap performed last year on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon by Jimmy, Justin Timberlake and The Roots. If you enjoy this one as much as I do and haven’t seen the sequels, be sure to check out History of Rap Part 2 and Part 3 (if you can find it, as it is no longer available on YouTube). Though they are not quite as awesome as the original (in my opinion), they are very entertaining and if you are a fan of rap music (like me), I think you will get a kick of out them.