Appalachian Word of the Week -- HIDEY-HO'

A HIDEY-HO' (hiding hole) provided a peaceful place of escape for me as a child. Whether I hid away in the closet, a home-made fort made from blankets and chairs, or in a cluster of bushes and trees in the woods behind the house, I found my HIDEY-HO' to be an escape from the frustrations of life. I spent my time there creating stories, playing with my dolls or stuffed animals, or pretending I was hiding from an evil villain.

A favorite childhood HIDEY-HO' was the playhouse my dad built for me out of used lumber from an old chicken coop. It was set up like a little kitchen. I guess they thought it would encourage me to become domestic. It didn't work. But, I loved secreting myself in my own little HIDEY-HO' in the back yard to live in my own created world where everything was perfect.

My playhouse HIDEY-HO'

As I grew older and a HIDEY-HO' in the woods no longer enticed me or I wouldn't fit into a cabinet or closet anymore, I created a HIDEY-HO' in my bedroom. I spent many hours there reading a book or writing poetry. I practiced all my speeches for competitions and parts for plays by performing to my stuffed animals. I wrote in my diary and cried about all the pain and miseries in my life. I grieved when the boy I thought was perfect for me rebuffed me. I complained because my sister drove me crazy. I griped when my parents didn't understand me.

When my son was born, much later, I enjoyed his desire to search out his own HIDEY-HO'. I even found him in the bottom of my curio cabinet a few times. As he grew, his need for a larger HIDEY-HO' grew with him. He hid in the kitchen cabinets, the pantry, and the bathroom. Later, like me, his HIDEY-HO' of choice became his room.

We all seem to need a peaceful, private, quiet HIDEY-HO' from time to time. When life gets overwhelming and the people noise of our lives drives us to anguish, the HIDEY-HO' offers a place of respite and recharging.

In college, my favorite HIDEY-HO' was a former janitor's closet transformed into a prayer closet. I could go inside, lock the door, and read the Bible, pray, cry, write in a journal, or whatever I needed to regain focus. I've always thought I need to set up one of those HIDEY-HO' prayer closets in my house. Hmmm. Perhaps I should consider it again.

Do you need a quiet place?

Do you have a HIDEY-HO' where you can recharge your batteries? Do you need to hide away for a bit and regain your focus or pour out your heart to God? Then, consider how you can set up a HIDEY-HO' for yourself.

Tell me about your dream HIDEY-HO' in the comments.












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