Last week, I had the beautiful experience of Walking for Peace in an absolutely gorgeous part of California, with my dear friend. During those days, I didn’t cover a huge amount of area geographically, but a quick video from the Walk, and the post about the days was received with excitement and enthusiasm. I’m grateful to all of you for your support, and for your interest in the Walk. For me, the three days Walking and the two days after were absolutely magical. There is a depth of conversation available between us that is absolutely life affirming. One thing I want to share with you today is the incredible sense of joy I felt in being in the open air, with my dear friend, experiencing the energy of each other as well as that of the people around us. Being able to Walk again felt like my heart was given a gift. In some ways, I felt as if this mini-walk (and retreat, thank you, my friend) was a chance to inhale deeply the Peace available to me, and to bathe myself in it without reservation. And the setting could not have been more soothing. At one point, I engaged a couple of young women in conversation, inviting them each to take a 1conversation for Peace card. I explained about the Walk, and we stood engaged in a conversation about Peace for about 5 minutes. As the gals read the cards, I saw a deep sense of recognition in one of them about a person she is in relationship with and the fact that she wants to work on that relationship. As she inhaled, I sensed that she was already feeling some Peace around the awareness of this as her next step toward Peace. What a lovely place to be, to share this experience with her. How could I not be grateful?
Yesterday and into today, I have been experiencing a myriad feelings around the explosion in Manchester, England.
I want to invite anyone reading to close your eyes for a moment and take a deep breath. As you inhale, feel the rage, distrust and disgust you might be holding toward the young man (and his associates) who was responsible for the explosion. And as you exhale, release the darkness by sending those affected (including those responsible), energy of forgiveness, love, strength and healing. For me, this type of intentional breathing is one way I find Peace in an otherwise untenable experience. It is also a way of acknowledging my own feelings about what happened. And, when I consciously invite and release the feelings through breathwork, I find a place of greater Peace within, which allows me to stay connected to the Dream of Peace for the world.
Today, I am grateful for the knowing and the feeling that the Walk for Peace is also a path into a deeper, more embodied state of Peace for me.