My Cave / My plate room – Relaxation

My Cave / My plate room – Relaxation

(Posted - Dec 9, 2004 - Air Force Parents support group)

Mental Escape

The holidays are no doubt the most hectic
time of the year for ALL of us.

I am going to relate the following real life experiences
to you in hope that you can find some ~peace~
at this time.

I have to speak of prayer, as that is how the
idea unfolded. But please understand that it's
not the direct intent of the post.

Many years ago I attended a women's retreat.
A speaker gave a talk about prayer and meditation.

She spoke of a private place she had created in her mind.

She visited that place whenever she needed to be close
to God.

I came away from that retreat and had created my own
such place. Quite awhile afterwards I created another
escape place. I will explain both.

The first place I created was a cave.
My cave is in a circular shape, dimly lit by candles
on sconces all around the cave walls.
There is a wishing well made of stone in the center.
The wishing well has a stone seating area that
surrounds the well.
I can hear the sound of water when I am in my cave,
but I have never created a source of the water.
I only know the sound brings me peace.

In creating this special place, it must be someplace
that is comforting to you.
A beach, a park setting, your childhood attic, a closet,
your grandma's house, a mountain cabin.
Someplace that you feel comforted by the surroundings.
Keep in mind the details. The temperature, is it cool,
is it windy, the season of the year.
IF you like my cave idea…….. by all means make your
own cave.
What you need to do is maintain the same place
in your mind every time you visit.

You see the place in your mind, you take relaxing breaths.
Your shoulders drop down…. you feel peace.
If you have a belief in God, then he will be there with you,
to talk and listen.
If you have no belief, it is still your place of peace and rest.

Some folks who have been on the site for awhile,
will recall reading of my PLATE ROOM.

I designed my plate room, from the same concept
as the cave. A place to get away.
Ok, my plate room has a totally different concept.
It's my place for letting loose.

I enter my plate room. The room is rectangle shaped.
Not huge, maybe 12 x 9'.
The walls are lined from top to bottom with rows of plates.
They are sitting up right like you would lean plates on
a display shelf.

I am totally protected in my plate room. Meaning
I can not hurt myself, I am also alone in there.

I close my eyes and I am inside. I slip on my goggles.
I start flinging the plates. Crashing them to the floor,
Frisbee style into the walls, crashing into other plates.
I see the colors of the plates and see the bits on the floor.
It's a sheer release for me to hear the glass crashing.

I remove my goggles. They are gone I take a deep
breath, and walk out of the plate room.
Whenever I return…. all the plates are back on the wall,
and no mess on the floor.

NO doubt, some shrink would have a field day with
me and my plate room. LOL
But I can honestly tell you, it has kept me more sane
than anything in my life.

So feel free to take these ideas, they are meant
as a gift of peace to yourself at this most hectic
time of the year.

You know how SOMETHING can just instantly
push your buttons, and you want to lose it.
After many years of my plate room, I feel
that losing it emotion or feel my buttons being
pushed and I say to myself...
'My plate room, my plate room'....
I take a deep breath, and it relaxes me.

oxox
Deb
Proud Air Force Mom

PS….. the plate room came to me from a real
life episode of throwing a Corelle
UNBREAKABLE plate down on my kitchen floor.
Not only did that darn thing break, it splintered into
thousands of pieces.
Long afterwards I was still feeling the effects of
that shattered plate. Stepping on shreds of it in
my bare feet. ouch. So much better to have
a mental plate room. :)

Dec 9, 2004