Not sure if I like the expression. Not even sure why. But wanted to say that upfront.
Can I happy places?…plural. Being near on on the sea is one. Perhaps its the smell, or is the sounds of the sea. On a stormy day the sea is happy to share it’s mood, the beach providing a sounding board for the sea to have its say. That same beach on a calm day is also a lovely place. On such a day the gentle lapping of the waves onto the beach is very relaxing. To be on the sea in a yacht, sails stiffened by the wind, heading towards a safe harbour is a delight. But is the sea as much a happy place as my home ‘library’.? I use the word loosely as in ‘a place where a good number of books are gathered together’. I have three such places. The first ‘gathering’ is in my office where ‘books du jour’ hold hands and enjoy their stories come alive. It’s even ok that most of the books here are to do with work. My second ‘library’ is a room deliberately built to house books and be a place to sit and read. No arguing with a TV, a game station or even a YouTube connection. This space even has a sign that says ‘my happy place’. Yep, that’s twee but it feels ok. If size matters then this library is king of the heap. I must count them…but I won’t….in the same way you don’t count children. The third ‘library’ is just two shelves in the boat. But every book is curated for that space. Joshua Slocum would love it. Abel Tasman would smile when he saw the painting on the wall and Jamie Oliver would be delighted to know that I follow his recipes at sea. The sea points to a world to discover, my library tells me I can sit happily and go to those places without getting onto the boat.