Over the past few years, we have been bombarded with stress inducing events. The list includes a covid pandemic, the war in Ukraine and most recently the smoke from the Canadian forest fires that made many of us take those N95 masks out of storage. 

That hazy orange tinted smoke also made me alter my morning routine. Until recently, my mornings began by going on Facebook followed by doing the daily Wordl puzzle. Now I have added a third chore. Before venturing outside, I go to the AIRNOW.GOV website to check the air quality of my locale.

It is during those stressful times that I wish I had a safe place to shield myself from the outside world. A place where I can have peace and quiet while surrounded by things that make me calm and happy. Well, luckily I have such a place. It is more than just a place where I do my writing and work on my podcast. It is my Man Cave.

It is interesting that if you flip the words in man cave, you get cave man. Stressed out from hunting for food to feed his clan, fossil records have shown that the cave man carved out his quiet place. It was in his man cave that the cave man surrounded himself with his favorite possessions. While his wife prepared grilled pterodactyl wings to feed the family, her mate retreated to his man cave to sharpen his favorite spear, rearrange his rock collection and make etchings on the walls. 

Although the term “man cave” joined our lexicon around 1992 when it first appeared in a Canadian newspaper, men have sought a place for solitude for centuries. As civilization flourished, men gravitated to many places that they declared as their private space. In Medieval times, the Lord of the manor often had a private room in the castle. Often referred to as a cabinet, it served as his private office where he kept important documents and favorite books. It was also a repository for his prized possessions. Only his closest friends and advisors were allowed to join him in this sanctuary.

Even though the term “man cave” surfaced in 1992, the concept of such a private space was introduced in America decades earlier. In the 1930’s comic books became very popular. Adults and children began collecting them as prized possessions. In 1942, a Batman comic book introduced a drawing of the caped crusader’s “Bat Cave.” Located in the bowels of his mansion, readers could see that it housed many of his crime fighting gadgets and a closet full of his dry-cleaned capes suitable for crusading. So, it was Bruce Wayne’s “Batman Cave.”

The “man cave” concept was also responsible for helping another superhero learn how to fight crime. Superman went to his Fortress of Solitude to learn his heritage and purpose on Earth. It was his private place of solace.

Of course, the occasional need for solitude is not the exclusive domain of men. I would hazard a guess that neanderthal cave women had their hideaway when they needed a break from skinning woolly mammoth pelts.  

Today, many women have been able to create their own private cranny. My readers may wonder why I did not use the common idiom “nook and cranny.” Simply, a nook is basically a corner. You would need a cranny for optimal privacy. A cranny refers to an out of the way location such as a small bedroom or large walk-in closet. Some women are fortunate enough to have the space and income to have a small cottage built on their property.  I am not a big fan of what is called a “She Shed,” but that name has stuck.

I once saved a friend’s marriage by suggesting that her husband convert his rarely used toolshed into a cranny for his wife. He added windows, Wi-Fi and a La-Z- Boy recliner which added to her comfort. Now they live happily ever after. She can read her books in peace and compose poetry. She no longer has to hear her husband scream when his team loses again in Madden football. 

Hudson Cooper is a resident of Sullivan County, a writer, comedian and actor.