My Happy Place

By: Samantha S. Daviss

I always used to think you had to have one particular place that made you happy. But as I have lived and traveled and matured I have come to realize that my happy place comes from within. I am happiest when I am with my family, when I am with my friends that know me inside and out (and still love me), I am happiest when I can accept all the problems in my life and just deal with them one issue at a time. That is my happy place.

My early morning happy place is lying in bed and hearing those little feet come around the corner, knowing a little three and a half foot blonde bandit is about to crawl in bed with me. My morning happy place is driving in my car with a cup of coffee in my hand headed to a job I love for many reasons: it gets me out of the office, I get to interact with people, but most importantly it allows me to pick all my babies up from school every single day and not miss a beat in their lives.

My mid-day happy place is having the ability to run errands around town while singing to some great tunes on the radio. And my afternoon happy place is waiting in the carpool lane at my son’s school anxious to pick him up and hear all about his day and how everything went, and then returning home to two smiling faces waiting anxiously on momma and Big Bubba.

And the rest of the day is history, especially if my husband is home and not traveling; I get to watch my boys play and ride bikes outside and catch up on my day with my best friend. Even when our lives get crazy and hectic with sports, building our house, work, and activities; regardless, my happy place is with them. Even if there is screaming and yelling and punching happening in the backseat of my car (which typically, there is); it doesn’t matter, because in that rear view mirror I can see my entire life…my happy place.

I have been fortunate enough to get to travel to some of my happy places too, like Italy, and the Texas Hill Country, and the Caribbean…but right now, probably my most favorite happy place is where we are building our forever home. Not because it is our forever home, but the spot it sits on is absolutely perfect. I open my car door and hear nothing. It is so wonderfully peaceful and serene and I am so excited that my boys get to grow up in a spot like this. So for many reasons this is my new happy place.

It makes me happy that they will grow up there, that my husband and I will grow old there together, that we will celebrate life events there, and build tons and tons of memories with friends and family there. I look into the future and see nothing but smiles, memories, laughter, and of course some tears; but for the most part it is the spot that all of our happiness will be wrapped up.

Regardless of where I am though, my happiness comes from within. I look outside and see sunshine and know that soon I will be playing with my boys, or later tonight I will be sleeping with my very best friend who loves me unconditionally (despite all my weird idiosyncrasies), and maybe tomorrow I will run into a friend and we will share a laugh or two; but right now I am just happy to have what I have in life and love living it.