Dear Diary,
I am a quiet person with a noisy mind. Wise people worldwide have accurately reminded us we have two ears and one mouth for a reason. I am most comfortable with a bit of nature’s noise, or music, as it gives me something on which to channel my thoughts. Silence sends my mind bouncing around, often into directions I need not travel. Yes, meditation is a technique for training our attention, but it isn’t easy to relax and meditate simultaneously. Peace is found in the present when we need not be actively pulling our attention away from darker directions.
What is peace? Acceptance is the state of living with something rather than trying to change it. Patience is the understanding we don’t have to exert our will on something yet, and discipline is making a change even when you don’t want to. Peace, however, is a state of being where there are no changes to be made. Sadness, Anger, Forgiveness, etc., revolve around our attempt at being in a peaceful state. Mindfulness, like peace, is found in the present. Mindfulness is being in the present through being non-judgmental.
We do not have to take a vacation to an exotic destination halfway around the world to find peace. Peace is about managing the noises in your head. If there is a task nagging at you, exercise discipline to get it done so you can return to being peaceful. If an action severed an attachment to the world, allow yourself to be sad and honor the object or memory adequately. If you made a mistake, practice forgiveness and return to the present.
Peace can be found in everyday moments; those are where peace mostly lives. If you spend time with a loved one doing something enjoyable, nothing needs to change. That moment is peace, a state of being where no changes need to be made. If you are cooking something delicious and it turns out just right, that is peace. If you wake up from a lovely night of sleep and get to greet the day on your terms, that is peace. We can find peace all around us if we pay attention to the present and not get bogged down by things beyond our control.
Peace is not a state of being we achieve once and take up a residence. The River of Life flows this way and that and we react to what we are presented. The minor turbulence we can largely ignore and more quickly return to being peaceful; the significant turbulence we can not only use our toolbox but seek out help and take our time healing. Life is not a race but a series of moments to be experienced. We can do so through a negative filter and be worn down by it, or we can work towards being in a state where there are no changes to be made. Be peaceful; you are worth it.