Recently, I have felt a desire to say so many things. Right along with that desire also comes the awareness that I may be better off simply listening and learning. With those two thoughts also comes the desire to recapture some of the clarity I felt when I was writing regularly.
I truly believe that peace heals.
With a pandemic that has killed hundreds of thousands; the loss of lives of people of color and the need to dismantle our systemic white supremacist culture; the socioeconomic inequities growing larger and more obvious; a political climate that is mired in an “us vs. them” mentality; mistreatment of the immigrant population; fires scorching the earth and smoke literally choking people (to name a few); peace may seem like a mirage…disappearing with each new catastrophe.
However, I believe it is now that we have the opportunity to lean into the web of humanity that each of us is a part of. And, we can take steps every day toward peace:
- Take care of ourselves. This can look like many things, but the better we take care of ourselves, the more energy we have to give to others.
- Give to others. Not only do they benefit, but we get to feel good too.
- Remove violent language from our conversations. It lessens the defensiveness in discussions.
- Seek alignment with people rather than dissent. When we stand with people rather than label and put others in boxes, we find harmony.
- Find/create simple Joys. This reminds us to smile, to take a moment and remember to smile.
- Have a daily practice. Meditation, yoga, breath work, moon rituals, walking, gardening, etc. A daily practice connects our hearts and minds in balance.
- Take time in nature. This is the thing that reminds us that we are part of a larger whole.
We can choose to be at peace each day, and in moments within our day. Some days, peace comes naturally to me – others it doesn’t. Either way, there are steps I can take to shift into peace.
And now, more than ever, I want to share with you and to hear from you how peace shows up in our lives, and how we share it out to our worlds.