A little red house on Sandoy. In fact it was more like a shed when I stumbled upon it by pure chance one fine day. Planks, a door, a gable, tar paper and red and white paint at first glance. It was that that I saw, surrounded by a picturesque landscape, close to the sea. And yet it was so much more than that. An embodied inner peaceful space revealed itself, took shape; traversed by a draft, carrying giggles, lyrics and a soft, vague melody. We all need this, more than ever, especially in global-scale-confusing uncertain pandemic times. Our very own inner peaceful space. Or: Happy place.
For all those who are not familiar with the concept: An inner safe or peaceful space is a vivid image commonly created by powers of imagination only. It might be associated with meditation, mindfulness, positive thinking and stress reduction, broadly speaking. Anyway. Having the ability to shut down gracefully all mental acrobatics off the cuff does not harm at all. To push all perfectionism-motivated acts to the side once in a while; twice an hour; morning, noon, night. In other words: No more “rationality comes on top"-ratings, no more thoughts hopping on carousel horses and merry-go-rounds.
Instead of pretending that you’re in control of the messed up current external circumstances you draw your attention inwards and create your own inner peaceful space; or happy place. It might be that you imagine a jungle. A church or a temple. A mountain lake. A flying carpet. A cabin in the woods. Cloud nine. You alone in a museum, in front of a beautiful painting; Hieronymus Bosch, Rembrandt, Caravaggio, Rubens, Old Masters. A purple red, wing-backed-chair in a small-town café, hot chocolate, whipped cream and a slice of warm, nice-smelling apple cake. Or something else entirely.
It’s completely up to you. Be lavish with your imagination. Every input, howsoever small, will be important. Details? The more the merrier. And then, it’s ready. Waiting for you. Welcoming. Your inner peaceful space; or happy place. Whenever you feel like it, take a trip inwards and drop by. Eyes gently shut. Maybe you’re standing in front of a little red house in the meantime, close to the sea. The depicted shed can be found on Sandoy, in the back country, most likely close to the village Skopun. A wind is getting up. A smile lights up your face. You do a somersault. A blackbird invites you to stay.
More Sandoy-island adventures: Visit Sandoy and Sandoy on My Faroe Islands. Arrival by boat: Ferry route.