“His house was perfect, whether you liked food, or sleep, or work, or story-telling, or singing, or just sitting and thinking best, or a pleasant mixture of them all” (J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit).

I visited the North Wind Manor today since I was off for vacation. It’s part of something called The Rabbit Room, a collective of artists who generously share a space for people to gather and drink coffee and sit and talk and dream and pray and write. There’s probably a lot more to it, but that’s what I’ve gathered so far.

My first impression when I arrived was that I want to live in a place like that one day. It seems like a kind of haven from the crazy world we live in where I can feel the stress melting away.

It reminded me of that line from The Hobbit about the house in Rivendell where the characters go when they’re in need of some rest and relaxation. It’s a house of healing for those who are weary in body and spirit and soul.

That’s the vibe I got from this place. It’s essentially sitting in the middle of a suburb in Antioch. It’s like you go down a short driveway and enter a whole other world, like stepping into the world of Middle Earth or Narnia.

I definitely need to go back sooner rather than later and maybe take a book to read while I’m sipping on my coffee.