A Safe Haven
As I was seeking descriptive words to symbolize a deep meaning for myself, I came across a rare word that I had never heard of before. Not only does it have a profound meaning, but I related to it in more ways than I could imagine.
Abditory: “A place for hiding or preserving articles of value.”
Such a strange word that stems from the Medieval Latin “abdō” or “to hide”. Based on the dictionary, this word isn’t used to refer any hiding place, but one that is special; one that only you know of.
And then I thought, maybe it’s not necessarily a place to hide something, but rather hide myself from the outside world. A safe haven.
And I don’t mean a place to relax or to have fun. I mean a place where one feels safe, fulfilled, protected, shielded from whatever is out there. Who would not want such a place? Everyone needs to have a secure place. Wherever it may be for you, it’s where you feel most at peace.
To me it had a more personal significance as the first part of that word is written exactly as my name. I found a word that not only contains my name in it, but that I could relate to its sole meaning in a very particular way. I had not found a single word that could describe my place for me, until now.
I think often of a place to hide and seclude myself and it’s not exactly or only at a tangible location. Is more of an abstract feeling that is magnified in a place with specific characteristics.
Music, but not any. Music that contains feeling and soul. And there is one genre that describes it, soul. And all of its variants. Jazz, blues, soul, funk.
Now, that sound in a particular place is what entails my safe haven. I see a hidden room full of books and vinyls like an old-style studio with finely carved wooden shelves, vintage art, and perfect lighting.
Where the acoustic is perfect, crystal clear and I am alone. Where I feel safe surrounded, shielded by written words and knowledge. Where the rich melodic waves travel, alive and telling a story of their own in each note. And I find my thoughts fading away in the beauty and sound of the mesmerizing beat. All of them vanish and only the sound waves remain; my mind and soul attentive to the stories weaved intricately in the soulful music with passion and vivid emotion.
And that moment, that place, is similar to air for me; keeping me safe and alive.

