Daily writing prompt
When are you most happy?
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I know the prompt implies one place or time, but happy can be almost anywhere and any time.

My writing has not always been the most uplifting lately, so this is a good prompt for me to reflect on and share. I’ve got three times that make me “most happy”:

  1. When we are traveling. We’ve always made time to vacation. When I was growing up, it was going to state and local parks in the Midwest, to the Badlands and the Black Hills (Hot Springs, SD, and Devil’s Tower are on my top 5 favorite spots list), the mountains in Wyoming, or just some place local, we always had the time. Even as we grew into ornery teenagers, the trips were taken, and I’m thankful for it. As we grew into parents, we did the same thing with our now grown daughters: tent camping in many state and county parks in the Midwest, a cold trip to the Badlands, Black Hills, and of course, Devils Tower. They both traveled to Europe for school, one to sing, the other on an exchange. And now they are gone, our little camper gets out and goes. To Wisconsin, Minnesota, Missouri, and Iowa, it’s taken us to some neat places. We’ve gotten on planes for Florida, Scotland, Ireland, and hopefully Paris this summer. Learning new things, meeting new people, and just seeing how life is outside our little bubble was a big deal for us, taking our daughters, and now, it’s still something to be treasured.
  2. When we are on the basketball court. At our end-of-the-year party, I stepped back to take a picture of the gym floor, and the girls questioned what I was doing (and mocked me that I might post it to Facebook! 🤬). I told them this was my happy place, a place where the drama of sixth grade, of other teachers, of the world, was shut out for 90 minutes, and we could just be a team together. We hammered on that concept of team more than any time that I can remember, and it really worked out. However, more importantly, we drove home that this is a safe spot, where mistakes could be made, and great things were going to happen. It wasn’t going to be easy. It wasn’t always going to be fun. But they could feel safe here with us because all we wanted was for each of them to be the best player they could be on the court, and the best person they could be off the court. And, just for good measure, I get to coach with my wife, something we did together in Alaska during the 1994 season. Yes, we are old. It’s a Mom and Pop show, and we’d not trade it for anything (except maybe retirement!).
  3. When we are with family. Yes, I said it, one of my happy places is with family. Whether it’s the craziness of my wife’s family or the calm of my own, it’s a good place to be. My wife and I may be boring, but we are loyal to a fault. We’ll be there with food, decorations, help set up or clean up, do the dishes, and take the trash out. We aren’t the couple that brings games, that has a wealth of jokes, but we are on time and generous. This year has been different because we’ve reconnected with an aunt and uncle in Colorado and an aunt, cousin, and her husband in Minnesota. No, my relationship with all members is not always good. That’s my fault. I don’t call or text often. But, in many ways, that’s how we were raised. It was always us. Going on vacation, dinners, whatever, it was the four of us. My grandma lived four hours away, so we didn’t see her much. My other grandparents were here for the summers, but as they grew older and we grew into teenagers, we lost that relationship as well. I’ve tried to keep my daughters close, but as they’ve grown up and are doing their own things, that’s tough. So, when we get together, it’s time I value.

So, where is your happy place?