Illustration by Ana Hinojosa.

This Creative Prompt is inspired by my present need to focus on self-care. With finals and the end of the school year coming up, you may need a little bit of that, too. I recently stayed for a weekend at a little house with huge windows facing a small rocky beach along a very calm part of Washington’s Puget Sound. It was heavenly. I stared out those windows trying to memorize every detail because I knew this was it: My sacred space, the place I want to picture when I close my eyes and find calm. Before, I had a totally made-up sacred space. I’d imagine a huge pool on a cliff overlooking the ocean (where I’d have a view of the water and be safe from sharks). In this space, I’d lounge on a floatie and watch all the pets I’ve loved in my lifetime sunning themselves poolside.

What is a real or imagined place that makes you feel calm and secure? Create a visual representation of it, describe it in a poem, or draft a story about it. You can escape to it into whenever the world gets stressful, and please share it with us so we can escape with you! Send your sacred space—along with your first name, last initial, age, and city/state—to [email protected] with the subject line “Creative Prompt” by Monday, May 8 at 6 PM ET.

Last week, we asked you to give yourself a pat on the back. Here’s what you celebrated…