I returned this weekend from the most beautiful place on Earth, "My Happy Place," Echo Lake, MT. The place that holds more memories and emotions for me than any other place in the world. When I was a kid, in the summer we would retreat from the Canadian weather and live at the cabin on the lake. To this day, talking weather temperature is still a little confusing for me. I only comprehend Centigrade when describing cold winter temperatures and Fahrenheit for hot summer weather. Odd, I know.
As a child, I would sleep in my swimsuit, wake to the smell of hot cakes and bacon, eat only because I HAD to and was out the door and into the water. I would swim and float until my mom would drag me out, blue lipped and chattering.
In my teens, the lake was still a place of solace and adventure. Instead of spending my days swimming, it was cruising in the boat looking for cute boys and floating on the water lathered in baby oil for the perfect tan. It was also a haven during the difficult summer before starting high school. An American school with the same number of students as my home town's whole population!
Now, that I am an adult, I get just as much satisfaction watching my daughters take on my "fish-like" attributes. I still strive for the best tan possible and instead of searching for the cutest boy, I bring him with me. This last trip I found myself not being able to take in deep enough breaths to take in all that the air there holds for me. The beauty, the tranquility, the memories and the love. When I am forced back into the "real world" and things get difficult, I close my eyes, I smell the hot cakes, feel the cool of the lake and go to my "Happy Place," I go HOME.
