My Happy Place

My happy place is not some exotic location with a beautiful view. Instead I chose a more simple place: my childhood home. I grew up in a small town called Jesup in southeast Georgia. The house we lived in was small, just on the outskirts of town near the paper mill and the river. I lived with my parents and five siblings, and we spent most of our time outside because the house was a little too small to comfortably accommodate up to eight people and a dog during the day.

This picture shows the area that we lived in. The large red marker was our home and the other markers represent other places that I used to spend my time. There was a wooded area behind our house where I would pick blackberries and blueberries that my mom would use to make homemade jam. I also used to spend a lot of time walking around the neighborhood with my siblings or friends. There was also a little corner store down the street that my siblings and I would walk to to buy candy or to get things for my parents.

I picked this location as my Happy Place because it meant so much to me. I've been to other places that would probably be considered nicer, but I really enjoyed my childhood here. It may not have been that long ago since I was a child, but it already feels like a whole different world. I used to spend my days walking around the neighborhood and playing in the woods without adult supervision. I slept with my bedroom window wide open every night without being afraid. I used to climb trees and eat honeysuckle and feed the chickens that we kept. My childhood wasn't perfect, by any means, but I enjoyed what I had and I learned how to have fun without worrying about the outside world. That's what makes my childhood home my Happy Place.