Have a Sanctuary

Today was a nice day. It was a calm day. It was a day of reflection. It was a day off of work. And while my roommate worked today, I had the house to myself. It got me thinking of my home as a place of restful solitude, a sanctuary, and how important it is to have a sanctuary you can count on to retreat to when things feel overwhelming or upsetting.

My home is my sanctuary. It is a place where I feel comfortable, safe, and totally at ease. It is a place where I can be my full dorky self in full effect without needing to restrain my zeal. It is a place where I can be alone as long as I want to in order to sort things out in my head or with God, or both. My sanctuary contains things that make me happy and give me good memories to reflect on.

Sometimes, when my roommate is in the living room watching television, my sanctuary gets smaller. I am comfortable and at ease with my roommate and hanging out with her, but if I want solitude, I will just go into my bedroom. My bedroom is my chamber of solitude, in which I can always find a quiet space to pray and think.

I've not always been so blessed as to have a home with sanctuaries of differing levels. There have been points while I was sharing single rooms with several people or while I was couch surfing through college that I would have the bathroom be my sanctuary; it was a quiet place where I could lock the door to guarantee solitude. I remember spending many hours sitting in empty tubs just thinking and savoring the peace.

So if you don't have the luxury of a room of your own, there is always a bathroom to step away to for some quiet time, or a corner of the yard, or the garage, or in the car, or even on a walk. Everyone needs a place for themselves, where they feel save, comfortable, and have as much time to reflect and pray as you need. And where you can decompress and de-stress from the chaos in your life. Find your sanctuary and use it as often as you need. You'll be very glad you do.