Creating a Happy Place, Oasis, & Nest

I don't like using common catch phrases but if I say "happy place" you know what I mean. I've heard is described as mentally going to your favorite place in the world during meditations. Once I pictured myself on an Atlantic Ocean beach. I love the sound, smell, & sight of the waves any time of year. I can conjure up all but the smell in my mind pretty well, & I've almost got the smell. Once I pictured myself in the pool at the bottom of Horsetail Falls near Portland, Oregon, playing behind the waterfall. I did that once when I was 13 & felt like a fair Indian maiden or water nymph. The last time I pictured myself standing in the living room at my beloved grandparents' house in Dayton, Ohio. That was the only home I ever knew, & still is the home of my heart. That one was best of all, & I'll use that again. The others were really good too so I'll probably go to whichever feels right at the time. This is the place of joy that you can go to in your mind any time you wish, for renewal, to shed stress, to meditate, meet your self & meet God.

We also each need an oasis & a nest, on the earthly plane. If possible, where we live or nearby. The oasis is like the "happy place" in character. In my new home, it will be in my back yard. This spring I'll create a garden paradise like I had when I last owned a home. I'll be renting here but the woman who owns the home is also a gardener & created her own oasis here. She's renting to me because I'm like-minded & she knew I needed a place where I could create my oasis & nest. My oasis has to contain a flowing water element - some kind of fountain. It needs a bird bath & bird feeders, roses, other flowers. Over the years I've collected some very special garden statues including St. Francis, some adorable cats of course, & angels. And of course it has to have comfortable seating. My oasis will again be a place to commune with nature, God, & myself. In this new place, I'll also be able to share it with those who can benefit & enjoy it. I haven't had that before & it's very exciting. In my mind & in subtle ways, I also use this space to honor beloved people & pets who have crossed over & are ever present in my heart.

My nest will be inside my home. Because I live alone & have such a huge need for a nest (which is why I need to live alone), my whole home will be my nest. The nest for us is as it is for baby birds - a place of safety & rest, a cozy home for our hearts. All along while I was working on manifesting a home, the word "cozy" was in there because that's what I need to thrive. If you live with others, you need a room or a niche in a room for your nest. When I had a husband & 2 kids, I had to create my nest in a corner of the basement. I used a tall metal cabinet & enclosed shelving unit to wall off my area. Everyone in the house knew they needed my permission to go into my area & not to disturb me when I was there unless necessary. That was my craft area, because at the time that was the thing that brought me peace. You hear all about "man caves" these days & that's a variation on this theme - a place of retreat all your own. We all need that to varying degrees.

If you have trouble figuring out how & where to create your nest, I can help as a consultant. This is something I feel very strongly about & have given tons of thought. I've also created one in 4 different houses now. This is something I'm very good at. I can also help with your oasis or "happy place" but these are usually much more individual & less about logistics (like how to do this living with others) & more from the heart. These places are vitally important. The reason why this is the blog for today is that my day started in an unexpected way, with a deep disturbance. You can imagine my plate is full with the suddenness of my impending move, so I had a full schedule set up for today. But my day started with a call from my beloved daughter. My grandcat is seriously ill & she has to make that decision today. It's changed my schedule, so I can do some Reiki sessions & be here for her as much as she needs. But it also nearly fully occupies my conscious mind & was pushing aside things really necessary for me to do today. As I retreated to my oasis to pray & gather my mind, I realized I could actually write a blog for today, & this was it. That retreat (place & utilizing it) made it possible for me to think clearly enough to function enough to decide what I can postpone for today, what to do in what order, how to reschedule to be available. These 3 "places" & using them, are vital for those who wish & need to operate at the highest levels, as well as for those who are still struggling daily. We all need to retreat & regroup at times.