The scene, our walk-in closet; view it closely:
Do you see Homer in the back there? The Homer Simpson slippers? I bought those for Shane a couple years ago. Hilarious, I know. I love them. The eyeballs are huge. I have my own Sylvester the Cat slippers that I'll wear until the bottom soles are completely worn away, then maybe I'll start wearing Homer. Shane likes Homer, don't get me wrong, but I love slippers more I guess.
Anyway, totally not the point. See Homer? See the bag with my wedding dress in it?
Now, this image:
Yes, that is Gabby, in the deepest corner of the closet. Whenever it is eeriely quiet and Shane and I look at each other and wonder, "do we have a cat?", we undoubtedly embark on a quest to find her. We've found her here a couple times. I think it's her happy place, where we can't get to her or we just don't think to look. Where she can be all by her lonesome, catch a wink, or do some serious thinking.
I really appreciate this lesson. I think we all need our special spots, somewhere we can go to be alone with our thoughts and our goals and our prayers, somewhere we can just be us without putting on a show for anyone else.
At BYU, I had my favorite spot. It was a retaining wall, actually, but since it was beside a set of steps it was more like a concrete bench that extended out perpendicular to a terrace of plants and parallel to the steps. It was the perfect width for sitting, the perfect length for leg stretching, and the perfect spot for studying. It was behind the library, and sometimes I'd see people I knew, but more often than not, it was a spot less traveled. That is what made it a great spot. Just me.
I've been thinking a lot about this lately since "they say" in labor and delivery, a woman needs to find her "happy place" to get through it. Our childbirth class instructor told us all to imagine being at the beach. Ahhhh the beach. Another happy place. The peaceful sound of the waves, the ubiquitous squaking of seagulls, the sun on my face, the wind in my hair, the sand under my toes, a good book in my hands. How I love the beach. Just me.
May we all learn from Gabby and have our happy places. Somewhere we can just be us. If the only place you get peace and quiet is the shower or the commode, so be it. Use it as an excuse to get refuge from the day. Pray out loud. Clear your mind. Be yourself.
A for me, I'm looking forward to putting my feet up soon and thinking about the beach.
4 comments:
I have those same slippers! I wish I had more opportunities to wear them.
Buster's happy place is under the bed. Unfortunately for him we don't have rails or anything yet so the mattress and box springs are just on the floor. Poor little guy. He tried sleeping next to the bed for several months and has now resorted to sleeping underneath the little girl's bed. We should be more mindful of our dog's needs! :-)
Remind me to show you the Homer Simpson giant Pez Dispenser we have. I'll have to share the story with you of why we were given this. I love your happy place posting. I have always had a place like that where ever we lived. My parents home in SLC had a small grove of trees, our home in Ut had a bench under a tree near our pond. Here, I have found a beach to go to and sit on a log and read. When things get a little too much I like to go, it's hard because of the weather but I know it's there and picture myself there when I need that corner to curl up in. My cat likes the corners too.
I'm glac you've picked a "focal point" or "happy place" that you can think about during your labor. It's a great coping technique. I can't believe that you only have 6 weeks left! Yipee! I hope this last month and a half so smoothly for you as you prepare for your little one.
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