I don’t seem to be getting much done these days. Every afternoon, you will find me out on my lanai (screened-in porch if you don’t live in Florida) for two or three hours with a Starbucks coffee (chocolate cold brew with extra cold foam, since it has been in the 90s for months now), my phone, my dog (as long as she can stand the heat), a couple of books, and a snack. The snack these days is usually some slices of turkey.
After I finish the iced coffee and when the sun comes onto the lanai, it is unbearably hot, but I continue to sit there and sweat. I often feel as if I sit there until it is too late to do anything except exercise and begin my evening.
I can read in bed, but I cannot seem to read any place in my house. It is just too dark. I am one of those people who needs sunshine and light or I get depressed. In fact, today is the first day I remember that has been completely overcast (and intermittently rainy) in I-don’t-know-how- long. Florida usually starts out sunny, or at least turns sunny in the morning.
My lanai is nothing special and not huge. I have a loveseat that my son-in-law made, complete with cup holders, a chaise lounge, and a small table and chairs. Right now it is dirty from all the rain we get in the summer. Yes, sometimes it starts to rain during my happy place sitting, and for some reason it always rains in the direction of my lanai, forcing me to unhappily retreat inside for a while.
I do have a pretty nice view since am on a “lake” (small pond they carve into a development). Sometimes there are interesting birds.
It is truly my happy place. I read, I watch YouTube videos (some political and some about manifestation, which I am interested in right now). And I generally fall asleep.
I have been in my house for about four years now. But I had a happy place in California too. I remember when I taught school, I would race home (since school didn’t end until nearly 3 p.m.), taking my work with me (always papers to correct) — especially when it would get dark at 4 or 4:30 — so I could sit outside and read.
In California I would sit out front at my bistro table. I had a fence in the front, so it was very private. I had a fenced-in yard, but I never sat back there. In California it was often cold, so I would bundle up and try to stand the cold. At that time, my snack was popcorn. Every day.
I never thought of my front yard in California as being my happy space, but I definitely feel happy in my happy place in Florida. Although I certainly don’t prefer Florida to California, I am a lot happier these days. I had sort of a physical and emotion transformation during the past year or so. But that is another post that I likely won’t write.
Do you have a happy place? I think I have had a couple of other happy places, including Starbucks (or Peets), where I used to write my books, and bookstores (Borders or Barnes and Noble).
If you have a happy place, email me about it at bigwords101@yahoo.com. Put “Happy Place” in the subject, Or you can put it in the comments. Then, maybe I will write a post about your happy places.
I had the same problem about it being too dark in my apartment to read, but I felt all creepy crawly if I sat outside. so my solution was to remove all of the lamp shades. Hope that helps someone else who can’t sit outside in a lawn chair for more than five minutes before running inside.
Thanks for that idea!
Hey Arlene – I love this blog! Being new to Florida, I can relate to everything you mentioned. We are still tied to California for my job, so we are living in Florida about 5 months out of the year. This was our first year. The weather is certainly different, that’s for sure. My happy place is still the ice arena (well, just about any ice arena with an ice surface) and sitting outside, just as you described!
Thanks Maureen!!! You have the best of both worlds: Florida and California (especially California)….the first time I went back to California after moving here, I asked my realtor about maybe living in both places. However, I can barely afford to live in one place! Fortunately, there are many ice arenas here, but none like Snoopy’s, which was probably my happy place for a long time (the coffee shop). Is there one around you? Josh is coaching part time at one near where he and Shelley work. I know I already asked more than once, but the first place you mentioned you were looking was Clermont, so I still have that in my mind as where you live, but I know you don’t. Where are you?
You wote: “I had sort of a physical and emotion transformation during the past year or so. But that is another post that I likely won’t write. ” That “teaser” makes me want to learn more about your “sort of a physical and emotion[al] transformation.” How could it not? C’mon, Arlene, as Elvis Presley sang, “Don’t be cruel”!
It is kind of personal….I will think about it!