I Like to Keep My Options Open

_By Katt _

There is no “one size fits all” happy place in my mind. The happy place I mentally travel to will all depend on what I am trying to escape.

Bad weather? The atrium at Harlaxton College in England. It was always pleasant sitting beneath a canopy of greenery while being served afternoon tea. The English sunshine was rare, but when it peaked out from behind the clouds it turned the atrium into the most popular spot on the manor grounds. A babbling indoor pond with koi entertained the professors' children while the rest of us tried to figure out why iron furniture was only comfortable among tropical plants, tea, and finger sandwiches.

Feelings of inadequacy? A grand hall erected in the confines of my imagination paved with Welsh (NOT Appalachian) slate with a large obsidian throne that rests a top a gilded dais. Complete with a steward to refill my wine glass with Yellow Tail Moscato when necessary. Pillars of granite line the sides with scenes of battles I have won as Queen of this fictional castle and a large black cat to sit on an arm of my throne to stare down the last of my enemies as they beg for mercy, but are only met with the phrase “who's an inadequate ruler now?” as my generals drag them off. If life is going to deal me a harsh hand, I'll give it the same energy back in a safe and controlled environment.

Lonely? A lake house at the Ozarks where my three best friends and I congregate once or twice a summer. There is something about the smell of lake water that puts the body at ease. Combine that with a calm day on the water and just the right amount of ice in the cooler and there is nothing better. I can hear the stories my gal pals tell about life as married women as we all float off the dock on a lily pad trying to keep track of empty beer cans and when we last put on sunscreen. When the screaming mating calls of cicadas reverberate from the shore we know its time to get out to make dinner, but as soon as that is over we head back down to the dock, kick on the submerged lights and get back in the water with a freshly stocked cooler.

We would be here all day if I chose to break down all the options and which specific escapes they serve as, but these seem to be the three I find myself in most and they all serve their purposes well.