margot lee.

I think each and every of of us is granted (at least one) happy place. This can mean something different to everyone, but I’ll explain what a happy place means to me.

 

A happy place is somewhere where just lying down is made better because you’re there.

A happy place is somewhat constant and dependable.

A happy place holds irreplaceable memories. 

A happy place is filled with people you love and who love you, forever. 

A happy place is happy. 

 

For me, that happy place is somewhere in Massachusetts- my cousins house. I am lucky enough to have cousins my age who are a combination of my sisters I never had and my best friends. I could go on, but since this post is about a place and not a person, I’ll reserve myself.

I’ve been coming to this house since I was a baby, so as you can imagine, there have been all kinds of memories and experiences here. But the best ones didn’t start until I began coming here alone, sans parents or brothers. When I was only around 8 or 9, my cousins and I started a camp at their house called Big Hops to Fun (catchy, right?). The camp ran all morning- late afternoon and between 2006- 2016 we entertained 20 kids for 2 weeks. Was it successful? Yes. Was it probably illegal? Yes. Was I making more money at that age than probably any of my peers could in two weeks? Hell yes. To say the least, it was a lot of hard work but so much fun. But why am I telling you all of this here?

This house became my home base. Every summer I came here for two or three weeks for the camp, and between planning, setting things up, working together with the other counselors, and between all of the blood, sweat, and tears, this house saw it all.

Coming up for the summer camp morphed into a tradition, and it isn’t long into winter when I start planning my mini vacation up here for a few weeks in the summer. Why? Because not only does this house hold my favorite people, but it holds another life I’ve created for myself filled with incredible memories, irreplaceable friendships, and a unique happiness I don’t think I could find anywhere else.

People always ask me how I’m always so happy, and simply knowing and acknowledging the things that make me happy certainly help. I want to challenge you to think about somewhere that might be YOUR happy place. Practice gratitude for that spot, be mindful of all of the smaller moments and emotions you’ve experienced there, and if you feel comfortable sharing, let me know where it is! I love learning about different things that make other people more positive.