I have just been released from Long Bay as I began to write this. When I first saw this writing competition I was still inside. It got me thinking and reflecting. When I first wondered where I consider to be a happy place, I thought of a beach. I am a bit of a water baby, a lot of happy times spent at the beach. However, I know for some people the beach is not such a great place. Especially if you haven’t learnt to swim well for example. When I think about it more, a beach can be very dangerous. People do lose their lives there. There can be sharks and they need lifeguards because your life can be in danger going to the beach.

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After reflecting for a while I came to a startling conclusion. Long Bay has been a happy place for me, at least some of the time. Yes, there are aspects that are not happy, like at the beach. For me it isn’t so much the place itself as the people I have encountered there. While not everyone contributes to that happiness, there are quite a few people there though who brought joy and happiness to my time in what can be quite a dark and not so inviting place.

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I think it helps if you approach the place with the correct attitude. If you start with the view, for example, that everyone is against you and the place is completely terrible then you are destined to be unhappy no matter where you are. I have found, in general, that if you aim to get along with people even when they may have some very different opinions to yourself, then the other person is probably more likely to get along with you. If they don’t then probably it’s best to avoid them as much as possible as they are just going to drag you down with them.

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The happiest times while I was at Long Bay were when I was with others who also sought to be respectful, considerate and supportive of each other. I personally believe that we would all be better off if we seek to get along with each other and respect each other regardless of where we happen to be. We need to resist the trend of “cancelling” those who are “different”. I think it is OK for people to have different views from mine. However, is it possible to disagree but still be respectful of each other? If not, we go back to what I would consider a less developed society where it is the one with the most power, strength or money that dominates and seeks to exploit others. For me that just leads to unhappiness for all.

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Maybe the title for this competition should be OUR Happy Place rather than MY Happy Place. As I think it is more about how we approach a place together that determines if we are going to be happy or not.