Hanging out in the woods with the fungi! I bet you love my outfit.

There are many places I happily love to hang out. Some, like Paris, or New York, I only get to visit every few years (heavy sigh), but thankfully, there are others that easily fit into my life without having to buy a plane ticket: The library, where I often go to write and/or discover a new book; a local diner, where my friends and I gather on Fridays for eggs Benedict; my garden, where I can dig in the dirt with bad hair; hitting a thrift store searching for a unique find; andddd then my favorite happy place of all? Walking in the woods in the spring, summer, and fall and keeping my beady eyes open for discoveries. The trees, the birds, the breeze, the moss, or the unexpected mushroom I adore? Priceless. For you, it will be different. Which is why I dare you to write about your happy place!

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My love of nature has been life-long

I spent many hours walking and biking in the prairie countryside when I was a kid. Wonderment surrounded me and the Universe always revealed something to ponder. A fawn hiding in the grass. A family of gophers communicating with squeaks,whistles, and tail wagging. The downy soft petals of a crocus in the spring. An advancing storm of black clouds, racing across the sky while they tossed their heads. Listening to the chorus of frogs until they heard my footsteps, and as if by a wave of a baton, they all instantly went quiet. So many mysteries for my young mind.

All of it important.

And now, many years later? Nothing has changed. I’m still a nature nerd! And so, this past weekend at the northern lake we visit often? My happy place in the woods didn’t let me down. The millions of wild blueberries beckoned. I found two different types of puffballs. Eureka! (The squirrels were ticked off that I picked them. But they have many mushrooms to choose from and I don’t.)

There is harmony in happy places. Which, of course, plays a huge part in why we are drawn to them in the first place.

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Now It’s Your Turn

Do you have one happy place or several to choose from? Maybe you can’t wait to be on the golf course. Or going for a run late at night in your neighborhood brings you serenity. Walking your dog. Being immersed in a hobby you enjoy. (My Scribbly members email me that writing in their Scribbly takes them to a happy place. Awwww. Thank you!)

“Happiness – not in another place, but this place…not for another hour, but for this hour.”

– Walt Whitman

Listen. Happy places aren’t about status. We can’t compare our happy place to someone else’s. I love that so much. Because we’re all individuals. We all have quirky places that allow our minds, bodies, and spirits to take a breath. No judgment allowed.

And the happy place that just popped into your mind?

Write about it. Especially if you realize that you haven’t been spending enough time there recently.

As for me? I’ll be frying up my fungi finds in butter tonight. My husband will politely decline eating them, even after all the years of foraging, and classes I’ve taken.

He says his happy place is staying out of the hospital! (Ha ha ha. Fun-guy.)

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*Did you love this? Then check out Scribbly – my quirky and gentle writing program that we snail-mail right to your home. Each issue has a theme, so all you have to do is follow the path! We make writing easy and fun for you. We’re nice like that. (Scribbly members are in 19 countries! Woo Hoo!)