The Happy Place Theory

     I have a theory. Would you like to know it? No? Too bad, I'm telling you. The theory is called "The Happy Place Theory". I just recently called it that. Yes, I stole it from that pillow. (See picture below) Would you like to know what The Happy Place Theory is? No? Well, you see, it's a theory I came up with that states that each and every human is called to a certain place in nature. I broke the places down into four categories: mountain, desert, lake, and ocean. The theory goes something like this: Every person feels, innately, that they belong in a certain place. This is where they feel happiest. This is where they could see themselves spending the rest of their lives. This is the place they daydream about when they're stressed or depressed or bored. They feel a deep connection to this place, even if they don't live there or have never been there. They feel that this place- desert, ocean, mountain, lake- is where they would "find" themselves, or have already found themselves.
     Call me crazy, but I can prove it. As you already know, my happy place is the desert. I don't live in the desert, and I've only been there once before. When I was in third grade, my family took a vacation to Utah and Colorado and we went to Mesa Verde National Park and Arches National Park, and although I wasn't aware of it at the time, I fell in love with it. To this day, any time I read a book featuring the desert, I am transported to my "happy place". But I'm not the only one with a happy place. I know that AB has one. Her's is the ocean. She loves Florida. Loves it, loves it, loves it. She wants to move there one day and I'm sure that she gets happy just thinking about it. DL's happy place is the mountains. She loves a place called La Vale, where her family has a cabin in the woods that they stay in.
     I bet you could ask any person you know "Ocean, lake, mountain, or desert?" and they could definitively answer you without too much thought. I don't know why people get "called" to a place. I don't know how people form their "happy places". I'm just pretty sure that everyone has one and it's probably for a reason. For example, for each place pictured below, there is a quote that says something to the effect of "I feel happy here" or "I feel called here". I found all of these without too much effort on Pinterest. So it's not just me, or AB, or DL. Lots of people feel the way we do. Of course, I can't conduct a global survey, but just from my experience as a reader and a human, I'm pretty sure that everyone has a natural calling. And if they don't, they'll probably develop one before their time is out.

 

Day Ninety-Seven Song Recommendation: "Take A Walk" by Passion Pit. This is such an infectiously catchy song. It just makes you want to dance.

-SE Wagner