Sometimes my kids can read me like a book.
They look at me as I type or read on my phone or stare into space in the living room. They can sense something wrong, funny or joyful. They might ask what stirs in my mind. If it reads bad, they might tell me to cheer up and rise above it.
Or they might say something else.
Case in point, my son looked at me back in December as I read a message from a friend. He saw unhappiness.
“Mom, be in your happy place,” Jacob said as he reached to hug me.
Be in your happy place. Did my tween son just say that? It caught me off guard, but what words to savor. My son didn’t want me be sad or hurt. He wanted me to be happy.
Take those words to today’s world, where school operates online for the most students, parents work the front lines in various capacities or stay home due to no work. Take those words to a world where people scurry to find much-needed groceries and supplies or masks made necessary in public places in PA effective Sunday evening (8 p.m. April 19, 2020). Take those words to a world where nearly every bit of news on TV or online has something to do with COVID-19.
Be in your happy place. That happy place might be a back porch swing or rocking chair, a window seat to curl up with a good book or the bathtub filled with bubbles and candles lit nearby for ambiance. It might be sitting on the couch with loved ones watching a movie or TV show, standing in the kitchen making a favorite dish or snuggled under covers for a good night’s rest.
Be in your happy place. Above all, look into your heart and find those things that make you feel good about yourself: Faith, family, friends, favorite memories of places you’ve visited and things you have done.
Hold onto, cherish and enjoy all of your happy places as we ride out this interesting time in history.
The mom of a dancing teen and a tween who enjoys scouting and hockey, Katie Campomizzi-Clews is a copy editor at The Republican-Herald. She began her career at The RH as a staff writer following graduation from Lycoming College, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in mass communication with a minor in psychology. She shares her experiences of balancing work and parenting and takes a look at issues, events and trends concerning parents and children.
