Have you ever found

that perfect place to sit & think? You know, that one spot where the world feels safe & anything seems possible? I found mine in June. It was the height of rehearsals for Guys & Dolls & though I was enjoying it thoroughly, I was tired. One particular night I came home again to a darkened house, lit only by the light over the stove. It was late, all the roommates were asleep & though I knew I should go straight to bed, I was still wired from the evening. I was also hungry & began wandering through the kitchen & pantry aimlessly looking for something to eat. Unfortunately, I hadn't been grocery shopping for many weeks, but just as I was about to give up & head upstairs, I remembered the pint of blueberry sorbet sitting in the freezer. I grabbed a spoon & then sat down on the nearest available space ~ the dryer. I'm not sure what happened, but as I sat on the dryer, my legs dangling, the icy carton clutched in my hand, I relaxed. Life suddenly didn't seem so hard. Work was actually going ok, rehearsals had been quite fun that evening, I was making a lot of new friends & a soft bed awaited me upstairs whenever I decided I was ready. Surprised, I savored a few more spoonfuls & then jumped off the dryer. Several weeks later, I decided to try it again. Performances had just started with Guys & Dolls & I had been running in & out of a rainstorm all evening. This time I knew right where to go when I walked into the house. Quickly retrieving a spoon from the dishwasher, I climbed up onto the dryer with my pint of coconut pineapple ice cream. It was nearly instantaneous. Despite the rain, the performance had gone well, my supervisor at work had been very understanding about my leaving early each day to get ready for the show & I actually had my Sunday School lesson all prepared, no last-minute cramming. Wow, who knew an ordinary dryer & a few spoonfuls of ice cream could have such an amazing effect! Soon the play ended, life became routine again & I forgot about the dryer, until 2 nights ago. Once more, the day had been long & I was tired. There was always so much to do & never enough time to do it in. As I walked downstairs to get a drink of water, I could hear the hum of the dryer from the laundry room & suddenly I remembered. Finding a spoon, I pulled out my carton of chocolate brownie ice cream & settled myself on the smooth metal surface of the dryer. It was a little chilly in the house & I didn't have my slippers on, but this time the dryer was running & the warmth enveloped me. I had plenty of time to get things done & the weekend was right around the corner. I honestly have no idea if every dryer holds this power, but I think everyone should give it a try. After all, in a world where insecurity abounds, a perfect place, that one spot where anything seems possible, is hard to find.