Everyday Canvas

My Secret Haven

Prompt: What would it be like to have a secret place, imaginary or real, where you’d like to go to escape from the grind of everyday life? Can you describe the landscape of such a place for you?

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About 40 years ago, I learned to do a few step-by-step meditations regarding different areas of being and coping with life. One of them was building for me a secret escape place into which I could invite people of my choice, and if I wanted anyone to stay out, they would forget they ever stepped into it, for nobody could get into there, without my consent.

In this meditation, I built my imaginary secret retreat at the edge of the universe, on a ledge as a large room made out of some transparent material, tempered glass or anything unbreakable. When something’s imaginary everything’s possible. From this place I can view the entire universe, including the solar system and the earth. This is the best place to escape to, for me, especially when the going gets tough.

In addition, I have other more accessible escape places. Sometimes, I escape into my head and search in it for something interesting. Sometimes my head opens up a few real memories. If those are pleasant, I linger for a moment or two, but only that long, since I don’t like to look back into past, good or bad, as it is done with. Or I escape into the settings of my stories and inside the heads of my characters. I also escape into reading, which has been my favorite thing ever since I could read. My two Kindles and one Nook are perfect for that, because they carry a lot and are not heavy to lug around.

As an actual physical place, we have a covered porch, where I go with a book or a Kindle, but at this time, it is too hot to be outside, and also, more often than not, someone usually sees me there and stops by to chat. So it is not much of a refuge. Actually, nothing physical is really a secret haven in my life.

So back to the drawing board, I retreat to my favorite transparent refuge at the edge of the universe on a ledge with the view of everything or anything I want to watch.