Do you have a "quiet spot" where you go to "get away from it all?"

In a recent thread ("Too much stress") Wilderness commented to Pratoman regarding stress relief:

"Is there anything you enjoy that helps you settle & integrate new info? For me it's garden, bicycle, forest, canoe. You have anything like that - place you can get the grief out, connect."

That got me to thinking. I suspect that we all have such a place, even if we don't always realize it. For one thing it doesn't even have to be a physical place, but could even be an imaginary place, a hobby, a game, or a mental distraction of some kind, you name it.

But for many of us it really is an actual special place, somewhere we can go to when we just feel the need to shut out the world for a while, relax, maybe even close our eyes for a while and think pleasant thoughts about a world where things like PSA tests, appointments, and such have no existence. A good place to be from time to time, even if only for a short time.

Maybe that special place is close by for you, or maybe it's miles away. Maybe it’s a beach, or a cabin in the woods, or for some of us even a place with other people in it, such as a shopping mall or sporting event. For many it's sitting in a boat on a lake with a fishing pole in the hand.

It may even be just a place in your own mind, as noted, an imaginary but meaningful mental world where you can go, and where the people are always friendly, the weather always good, and there are no doctor appointments, no prescriptions to get, and no worrying about what's next.

Whatever it is, it’s there for you, and ready for you to go to it if you feel the need to.

For me it's the sunroom on the back of my house. I had it added on to the back of my house just a few years ago, facing out on to the back yard. At the time I wasn't thinking of it at all as some kind of therapeutic escape from the stresses of the everyday world, but it has come to serve that purpose for me.

Think large back porch kind of structure, concrete base, actually part of the house, the three walls being three-foot-high metal baseboards with the upper five feet being large glass windows, designed to let in a maximum of light, the whole thing covered by an aluminum roof with a light fixture in the middle of it. It was built off of the den, and is accessible through a sliding glass door. But it also has its own back screen door.

It turned out to be a much quieter room than I had envisioned, the neighboring yards being far enough away so that any noise from there is minimized, and it offers a full view of my entire backyard, including the concrete birdbath and bird feeder pole next to it, which are located nearby under some trees.

At first I delighted in just sitting on the couch out there during the day and watching through the large windows as the birds (and inevitably, the squirrels) made use of the birdbath and feeder just a few yards outside. That in itself was good down time. (I have a good-size backyard with a lot of trees of various kinds in it, home to lots of bluejays, cardinals, mockingbirds, etc., along with, as noted, the inevitable grey squirrels). But then I made a discovery which really made the sunroom become my "special spot."

Here in north Florida nighttime thundershowers in the summer are pretty common. I soon realized what a pleasure it was when one of these was happening, when it was dark outside with the wind and rain blowing from the rainshower, to go out into the sunroom, close the sliding glass door behind me, turn off the light, and then just sit or lie there on the couch in the darkness, watching through the windows as the rain poured down, and seeing the lightning flashes in the distance, hearing the distant thunderclaps a few seconds later, and listening to the rain pounding on the aluminum roof above. Amazingly relaxing. And a wonderful place for doing some deep, uninterrupted thinking when I felt like doing that.

I never said anything about this to my two sons who live in the house with me, but they just sort of "caught on" that whenever dad is sitting alone on a rainy night in the dark in the sunroom, that he is not to be disturbed unless it's very, very important.

So a room in my house has become my "special spot," where I go, especially during nighttime summer rainstorms.

So what about you? Where or what is your "quiet spot," your "special, getaway spot?" A lawn chair in your backyard? A lakeshore? A blanket at the beach? Where do you like to go when you want it to be just you and your own thoughts (or those of just you and your significant other if you both go together to that special place)?

It might be very useful if you share this with us, since telling us of your own special spot might even inspire others to consider such a spot for themselves.

So where/what is that special place for you when it's time to shut out the world for a while?

Andrew -

Gosh, now how could we have possibly guessed that?

81GyGuy I got a bit relaxed just reading about your place.

Guess for me it is getting away with my wife - someplace we can forget, for a time, about cancer and tests etc.

Wish we could all stay in these special places forever.

Mine is actually going outside for a run. Where I live there are many trails and I go out and just start jogging. No music in my ears, just listening to the birds and other animals. The pathways where I run have a bridge that go over a stream and many mornings I will see a family of deer by the rushing water. Just a great sight to see.

Running is a stress release for me - I didn't start running until I was 50, so only been running 8 years now. Not only did it help me take off 40 pounds, it helped me survive a stress filled job (school principal) and be able to retire and continue on with life.

Of course I also love to go on cruises and my wife and I always get a balcony. I totally enjoy sitting on the balcony, read a book and just look out at the water. Very peaceful for me. Unfortunately can't afford that but once a year!

My place is in my head when I'm playing music. If I'm really focused, there's no room for any other thoughts. Everything is very immediate and in the moment.

It's almost like a kind of meditation, and it usually clears my head.

Long, long walks have helped me reduce stress and tackle problems for the last 55 years.

When I was doing triathlons long runs, and swims would give me a runners high .... a good place to be to sort out problems. Answers would come from out of the blue.

Bike rides not so much ... had to concentrate on traffic.

I enjoy riding my Harley. It's not all that quiet, but it's the next thing to flying.

Walking on the beach, listening to my tunes...will have a calming effect every time.

Jim

First special place, my in-laws wonderful cottage on a beautiful clear lake in Michigan. Very contemplative to sit by the shore in the evening, watching the sun set (and swatting mosquitoes). Also, blasting like h*ll on our jet ski!

Second special place, actually a vital place when I was first diagnosed, was the back deck on our home in Tennessee. Large backyard, creek in the distance, watching the wildlife and just listening to the world. It was wonderful and serene. I had my morning quiet time out there every day during my radiation series in the summer of 2013. (It's now sold, sadly, since we moved out of state).

Third special place is my Gold Wing touring bike. On the right kind of roads (which were common in Tennessee), motorcycling is completely engaging without being overwhelming. My mind becomes full of the process of biking and enjoying the scenery, swinging through curves, sun and shadows. No room for any negativity whatsoever. Unfortunately Michigan doesn't have many of those roads, so I don't ride a lot here. Most of the curves come simply from dodging our prolific pothole population.

Unfortunately, my favorite quiet place is 1200 miles from home and I only get there a couple times a year. A "camp" (those in NH, ME, and other New England States know what a camp is) on lakefront in southern Maine. I picked the right grandfather. Going there a week from Friday for a two week stay.

Walking in the desert....silence except for the sounds of quails and the errant roadrunner.

I think getting into nature is one of the best medicines. I like to kayak or cycle in natural environments. But sometimes even sitting on my lawn chair in our back yard with a book and a beer does the trick.