Maintaining Peace
Day 29
"Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset." Saint Frances de Sales

Many years ago, when I learned my father was very ill and on the path to transitioning, I vividly remember closing my eyes and asking for peace. It's the first thing that came to me. It was almost intuitive. I did not know the journey that I was up for, but I remember knowing peace is what I would need.
We all encounter ups and downs in our lives where we are not quite sure how to process or tackle what seems to be happening to us. Often, resolutions are not clear. We are caught in the chaos of what is going on that at some point we no longer want to be in a place of feeling unsettled, and all we need in that moment is peace.
Achieving and then maintaining peace in our lives is a step by step process. It can take being out of alignment and enduring struggle to realize we are without peace. However, I've come to learn that peace is a state of mind. We can choose to tap into or out of it at anytime.
I had never prayed for peace until I knew my father was dying. How ironic is it that intuitively that is what I knew I needed to face what was transpiring? Life has shown me many times since that moment that if I do not look internally for peace, things begin to go awry and I lose track of who I am, allowing things outside of me to control how I walk in my life.
In the past few years I have become more conscious of how to maintain my peace. Walks in nature, random moments of silly laughter, logging off of my phone, or spending mornings slowly sipping my freshly ground coffee are all different things that keep me centered, calm, and in touch with being in a state of peace. And when I am aware that I have stepped away from a peaceful heart, I stop, breathe, and look to soft actions that can take me back. The most valuable git is knowing that it is always within my grasp.
Peace is every step.
The shining red sun in my heart.
Each flower smiles with me.
How green, how fresh all that grows.
How cool the wind blows.
Peace is every step.
It turns the endless path to joy.
From "Peace is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life" Thich Nhat Hanh
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