Peace of Mind… (blog)

I have had the opportunity in my life to work inside and outside. On some of the jobs, I used my thinking more than my body, and on others, I called on brawn over brain. In all of my work, however, I have called upon my intuitive sense for guidance. This is a part of me that feels the energy of things, and allows the energy to speak. This is the place in me where I feel what is, and I lean into the knowing I have.

For many years, I hid from this knowing, telling myself that I couldn’t possibly feel everything that clearly. I didn’t know anyone else felt things as deeply as I did, and I was embarrassed about it. I felt like a “weirdo”.

Over the years, however, I have had the good fortune of meeting other people whose intuition is their guide, and I have been encouraged to explore the gift of knowing that I have.

When I dreamt of Walking years ago, I didn’t speak of it for a long time. You see, I knew the first time I dreamt it, that this was something that I was called to do. I felt it so deep within, that it scared me. And, I knew that if I talked about it, it would happen.

Thank goodness I have had mentors and teachers who have taught me to embrace my knowing as a gift. They have taught me how to use it for  the benefit of others, and how to be with the feelings that it evokes.

Today, I am grateful for the knowing. I am grateful that I am on this Walk for Peace. And I a grateful for the opportunity to share myself with others as we speak about Peace.

We each have gifts to share that will, if we allow them, bring us closer together in a collaborative, loving, Peaceful way. It is our responsibility to embrace our unique gifts, to share them with others, and to invite others to share their gifts with us.

Years ago, I wrote words and music to a chant that I still use to this day –

Great Spirit of my soul

All the gifts you’ve given me

May I give back, to others now

In a way, that honors thee

For me, the way I do this, is through the Walk for Peace. Join me, won’t you? Share your gifts – the world around you needs them.

Today, I spent some time visiting my mother and her husband at their home. As we talked, I spoke about The Walk for Peace, and about some of the things I wrote about in last night’s blog. At one point during the conversation, my mother got up to retrieve the items in this photograph to give to me.

Just before I stepped off in March of 2016, my mother attended a solstice celebration where she chose to send me into the world energetically in a way that would support me on the Walk. I knew my mom was going to the ceremony, but I had no idea that she had kept all of the items from that night.

There are ashes from a piece of paper that had things written on it and then was burned as part of the ceremony. Also, there were two stones and a tiny geode for different energy and clarity on the Walk. And, there was a piece of paper with a picture of me and Chandler, with three other pictures representing the Walk as well as a the following:

She who is centered in the Tao can go where she wishes, without danger. She perceives the universal harmony, even amid great pain, because she has found peace in her heart.

Music or the smell of good cooking may make people stop and enjoy. But words that point to the Tao seem monotonous and without flavour. When you look for it, there is nothing to see. When you listen for it, there is nothing to hear. When you use it, it is inexhaustible.

Tzu (Tao Te Ching, chapter 35″ translation by Stephen Mitchell)

For this Peace Walker, the words tell me that if I Walk in Peace with the faith that Peace Unites, I will have everything I need.

I am grateful for this gift, and for the moments of Peace that were shared in that Spring Equinox ceremony. And, I am grateful for the ripples of Peace that the Walk continues to create.

Thanks, Mom.

Over the past several days, I have had the good fortune of speaking with a number of my  colleagues about the next phase of the Walk for Peace. I have spoken about my vision for the Walk, as well as the practical, day to day needs that will serve to support that vision.

One of the things that I hold as a valuable way to grow the vision for the Walk, is to connect various Peace activities to one another. This way, the energy grows, the myriad people around the globe who are working for Peace have the benefit of meeting and being with others who seek Peace and the ripple of the Walk for Peace spreads further and further.

Another way that I know the Walk will expand is through collaboration. For me, this means reaching out to people and inviting them to join me. It means clearly asking for support and coactive engagement. And, it means opening up to suggestions about what the next step is.

Tonght, as I think about the Walk for Peace, I am aware that the energy to keep going comes not only from within, but also from every person I interact with, and, that it is complimented by actively choosing Peace as a way of being.

I believe that Peace Unites. Through kindness, inclusion, and engagement in all of our interactions, we can work together to grow the circle of Peace, one moment at a time. And, I believe that this is the moment that we must come together, find Peace as our mission, and spread our message around the globe.

Our world needs Peace today. Now. It’s time we stand up together and make our world a place of Peace for everyone.

As I stopped to take this photograph, I was struck by the still beauty of the hills near my sister’s ranch, and its interruption with a speed limit sign showing 70 miles per hour. I think not only about the pace we set for ourselves, but also about the expectation of immediacy we carry in our interactions with others. And, I wonder if the “need for speed” has actually contributed to our difficulty in connecting with ourselves as well as with others.

It is not uncommon for me to coach my clients on slowing down. On finding time to simply BE, and letting go of the need to DO. Invariably, as we coach, my clients describe this place of slowing down and being in the moment as Peaceful. When we go further into what helps them get this Peaceful feeling, sometimes they say, a quiet afternoon of reading, or a day on the golf course helps. Often, they indicate spending time with friends or family brings them a feeling of Peace. I have not experienced a single client who finds Peace by doing more and being less. And yet, we are compelled to keep up.

One of the most impactful conversations to date for me on the Walk for Peace came when a gentleman I sat and spoke with thanked me and said, “most people never even see me”. When I asked if we could take a picture together, he put his head on my shoulder and we put our arms around each other is a simple embrace. We sat in silence with one another for a bit, connecting.

As our lives and the world around us accelerates, the desire (and the need) to slow down, rejuvenate and connect with ourselves and those around us is only going to become stronger. Through acknowledging and addressing our needs, and connecting to the needs of others, we will feel Peace.

 

As some of you know, I have a daily intention. I don’t plan what it will be. In fact, I simply sit quietly, waiting for the feeling of the intention to come in to my heart, so I can put words to it.

Today, my intention feels powerful and challenging:

boldly  courageously, honorably and gracefully Step Into Yes and Walk for Peace.

For me, there is a sense of strength and calling forth of myself in this particular intention, and as I have been with it today, I am aware that there is something bigger in play here.

These words represent who I am at my core. I am a bold, courageous, honorable and graceful human being. I choose to Step Into Yes in my life, and to Walk for Peace.

Each day, we have a choice to participate fully, or at less than our full range allows. Sometimes, it feels easier to “go with the flow”, rather than “making waves”. For me, however, it is in the waves that magic happens. The raw, open, fully present sense of being that comes from boldly and courageously stretching myself to the edge of my comfort zone and then one step further is where I find the most aliveness. It is also the place where letting go and trusting that all will be well brings honor, grace and Peace to the world around us.

If each of us takes one bold action toward Peace each day – something that stretches our comfort level, we can create the Peace we are looking for.

Would you like to join me?

In presence, there is no past or future to compare to. Each moment is new, each experience a first, middle, and last. In this place, our egos are stilled, our hearts opened and everything is possible. Presence is where Peace lives.

Presence, and therefore, Peace exists in each of us.

Presence is our path to Peace.

And…

PEACE UNITES

 

 

“May peace-dreamers 

And peace-lovers

Occupy the length and breadth

Of the world.”

Sri Chinmoy

When I first read this quote, I found myself immediately closing my eyes and trying to imagine a world covered by lovers and dreamers of Peace, and it brought tears to my eyes. Through the tears, I felt the deep sadness of a world that is not yet at Peace, and the profound joy of imagining a world that is at Peace.

I walk and talk about Peace, because I am called to do so. Peace, to me, lives in a simple act of kindness just as it lives in laying down arms and joining in conversation with those whose ideology does not match our own.

As I lean into the day, I hold Peace in my heart for all beings. I look to the moment I am in, and I ask myself how I can best serve the situation. Sometimes, it means staying and joining what is going on. Other times, it means stepping back so that others can utilize their talents. At all times, however, for this Peace Walker, it means holding Peace in my heart, and sharing that Peace wherever I can.

I am a Peace dreamer, a Peace lover – a Peace Walker. The energy of Peace is what will join us and fill the space between. How will you be Peace today?

Continue reading Day 278

After six days of being on this beautiful land, I prepared myself to travel to Texas to be with my family for the remainder of the holiday season.

I arrived at the airport in plenty of time for my flight, which was, of course, delayed. Because I would have missed my connecting flight, I was rerouted through LAX. Unfortunately, the radar system had failed early in the day, so we (and all other arriving flights) had to ride around the airport in circles, waiting for a terminal gate to open. Upon exiting the plane, I checked the gate for my connection, and headed that way. After traversing about a half a mile and through two long temporary construction corridors, I arrived in a room where there were more people than I had ever seen in LAX previously. There were people waiting from the previous four flights, one ticket agent, chairs enough for only one flight’s passengers, and no restroom. It was hot, and people were cranky.

I decided that the very best way for me to be of use in this situation was to model Peace. For me, that means to smile, make eye contact with people and thank the ticket agent. Of course, those are the external actions I took. But I also had to find the place inside of myself that knew that everything would work out, to feel into the space and hold it loosely and to remain calm.

In all truth, the day was an inconvenience. I like it when my travel goes as it is planned. And, there was a time when I would have been the angry person yelling at the ticket agent. Not any more.

This Peace Walker knows, that being Peace in the midst of chaos (real or perceived), is something to work at. While I would like to say I never lose the Peaceful place inside of myself, it simply isn’t the case. What I have learned is the tools that help me come back to my center more quickly. And each time, I strengthen the muscle that is Peace for me, making the time between feeling it and not much greater.

Although I was exhausted, I was grateful to be able to have this as my biggest “problem” in my day. I often think about the things I get to do that are so far removed from what others get to experience, and I am aware of how fortunate I really am. I think about countries at war and the number of refugees who are simply trying to stay alive, and I feel the privilege I have known my entire life. And you know, it makes me really look at how I want to step into my Walk for Peace even more.

I am committed to helping people find Peace within themselves, Peace in their families and their friends, Peace in their communities and Peace in every corner of the globe.

I am, a stand for Peace.

 

Each time I have been on this property in the past ten months, I have had the great joy of being with my friend, Annemarie. We have arrived the day before the participants, in order to prepare the room and the supplies for the upcoming week, and have taken the evening before the retreat begins to relax into ourselves, each other, and the energy of the land.

I met Annemarie a little over two years ago, and we have been fast friends ever since. She is young enough to be my daughter, yet wise enough to be my sage, and I am eternally grateful that we have shared this rich experience with each other.

Sometimes, I meet someone, and instantly, we will become friends. Others may become friends, but I find we must both put effort into developing the relationship. And, still others don’t develop into anything. What feels important about this is, that no matter what happens, I am partially responsible for the impact that the initial meeting has on whether or not a friendship ensues.

I find Peace in knowing that each new person I meet, may well be my “new best friend”. When I open myself up to seeing the whole person without making assumptions about them, the way they are dressed, how they speak, etc., I open my world up to possibility. When I engage the person rather than making up things about them based on a first impression, the possibilities are endless. And, when I look first into their eyes and make a connection, the world becomes more available.

That is how I feel about Annemarie. The day I met her two years ago, I came to the retreat center, got out of my car, and immediately saw her getting out of her car. I remember walking up to her and introducing myself and looking directly into her eyes. We began a conversation that continues to this day, and I suspect will continue far into the future.

Today, I know that there are myriad ways we are different from each other. I am aware that we are many years apart in age. We dress completely differently, and our educations are wildly different.

I am also aware that Annemarie is one of the kindest, most loving individuals I’ve ever met. I trust her with my heart, and I am confident that she trusts me. We share the wisdom of experience, learning and love. And, we hold each other accountable in a strong, supportive, encouraging way.

For me, opening my heart to what is available in the moment that I meet someone is presence. And, this presence is a way to Peace.