Depending on the season of life or current circumstances you’re facing, the world is a war zone, soap opera or circus. We all need a place of “sanctuary” or escape. Everyone should have their own, unique “Happy Place” to retreat to daily.
I have two main Happy Places. The first is the driver’s seat of my Nissan Altima. No, it has little to do with the car itself (though I am satisfied with my first foreign built automobile; I come from a long line of loyal Chevy buyers). I am a hardcore introvert in a people-intensive profession (youth pastor!) and therefore require significant alone time to recharge my batteries. I am also an obsessive learner. For example, 3 of my 5 “Strengthfinders” strengths were Intellect, Input, and Learner. Thus, my daily commute provides a haven of various podcasts featuring audio lectures, sermons, Christian commentary, theological forums and debates and other delicious food for thought and cerebral nourishment. So, while you may dread a long commute and heavy traffic; for me the longer the better!
When I finally reach home, my second Happy Place is my personal study surrounded by my precious books. I love books. I love libraries. I love bookstores. Any other academics understand this strange affection for leather-bounded books, multicolored spines with vast variety of titles and authors, and neatly arranged shelves from floor to ceiling. Your picture of heaven may be mountains and streams, or choirs of angels and harps on clouds, but mine includes a complete library all of the (theological) books ever written — including the original ancient Alexandrian library that was lost to fire so long ago with all of the literary treasures of antiquity.
Hey, don’t make fun of me! God made me this way — and I really didn’t have much choice in the matter. But the story of how a high school sports jock who had never read a full book until college became a book-crazy intellectual almost overnight is another story for another day.
So, where’s your Happy Place? Where is your daily sanctuary? How do you recharge your batteries?
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Kingdom Harbor 
LOVED the post. It seems your library has done some growing since I was last in your study. I resonate completely with your musings on books. Well done, my friend.