My Happy Place
Theme Song: The Circle Game by Joni Mitchell
I moved to Augusta Dr in 2002 when my son, Bennett, was five, and Quinton was six months old. I instantly fell in love with the house because it met all three of my major requirements; a basement, a fireplace, and a kitchen window overlooking the backyard.
With the help of neighbors who became family, Bennett learned to ride a two-wheeler on the front sidewalk and the nuances of running bases on the side yard. He learned to be a gracious loser in the driveway where we excitedly put up our first basketball hoop shortly after moving in when I beat him in H-O-R-S-E and he developed empathy, an amazing work ethic, and a wicked sense of humor here.
Quinn learned to walk and talk and be defiant and stubborn in this house; my bedroom wall even has a scar to prove it. If his fist was a millimeter over when he got to his breaking point the drywall wouldn’t have been the only thing in need of mending. Growing pains can be brutal, but as long we learn, grow, and move on from our mistakes, they are not in vain. Quinn also grew into a kind, compassionate, extremely hard-working young man, and although he still enjoys pushing my buttons, I have no doubt when push comes to shove he will always have my back.
We all grew up here in our own way, but the place l learned and grew the most was at the park that surrounds my neighborhood.
It stretches 1.4 miles from end to end and within its boundaries it seamlessly incorporates walking trails, fishing holes, nature habitats, tennis courts, pickle ball courts, multiple playgrounds, baseball, soccer, and LaCrosse fields.
As a young mom pushing a stroller, I started walking in the park twenty years ago, the immaturity and invincibility of my 20s were a thing of the past and although I had been raising kids for five years, it started hitting me that I was officially an adult.
There were what felt like never-ending games of hide and seek, pushes of the tire swing, and trips over the wobbling bridge to get to the slide. There were countless errant baseballs chased and lost on the nights we grabbed Lou, the most perfect golden retriever ever, our bucket of baseballs, our mitts and bats, and headed over to the baseball fields.
I wish I could go back in time and turn every sigh or scowl I made while playing with my kids there, into a smile, and an appreciation that I will miss this one day.
I now have the freedom and luxury to walk the park alone.
I have read the plaques of every tree and bench a loved one so painstakingly dedicated.
It’s where I get a lot of my story ideas
It’s where I hide to get my nicotine fix when I “quit” smoking.
I have cried there, I have felt disappear there
But It’s also where I feel most at peace…
No matter how crowded my happy place gets with people getting in their cardio or taking leisurely strolls with their dogs, to kids on the playground or young athletes living out their childhood dreams, (or in some cases, their parent's dreams) I am always in my own little world when I am there. Whether it's a fictional story or self-reflection, I truly cherish the freedom to let my mind go wild with thought.
Things have now come full circle…
When I see the kids in their various athletic uniforms or being pushed on the tire swing I am very much aware, that in what seems like the blink of an eye, my kids and I are all grown up now.
I know my time on Augusta Dr. will be coming to an end sooner rather than later, and I hope whoever moves in cherishes the park as much as I do and I’m keeping the faith that wherever I land I will find a new happy place.
Theme Song: Circle Game by Joni Mitchell