Peace of Mind… (blog)

This morning, I had the opportunity to catch up with a colleague over the phone, and as we spoke, I felt fortunate that we had set aside the time to be with one another. Over the years, ours is a relationship that has evolved as each of us has grown, learned, discovered and changed. Whenever we spend time together, I find myself feeling seen, heard, understood and celebrated. When we hung up, I thought about how fortunate I am to to have people in my life with whom I feel so fully alive and welcome.

One of the fundamental elements of the Walk for Peace is community. For me, community is welcoming and inclusive. It is alive with possibility, and everyone has a voice. We come together by choice, and we grow by being open hearted and open minded.

Imagine for a moment, the relationship in your life that makes you feel the most alive. The one person that no matter how tired you are, you’re always happy to spend time with. Think about the qualities of that relationship and what it is that keeps you coming back for more.

What relationship would you most like to see have more of these qualities? How will you open your heart and mind for this change to take place? And, what is possible from here?

When we bring our actions into alignment with an open heart and mind, we can invite change into our relationships. We can choose to be present with people in a way that is respectful and responsive rather than disdainful and reactive. And we can find Peace within as well as with each other.

 

This playful photo was taken this afternoon as my friend Deb and I ate lunch. Deb was kind enough to drive me to an optometry appointment today. The glasses sort of took over, and before I knew it, I was posing for the picture. It was fun, silly and truly enjoyable, as was the whole afternoon.

The optometrist and I talked about the Walk for Peace after she inquired as to what my t-shirt meant. I shared a bit about how I came to be Walking, and the doctor was immediately excited about it. She told me that “It is hard to live in the world as it is today.” I said I couldn’t agree with her more, and that I want to help change that. I told her that I believe we can all be Peace in the world, if only we will choose it.

This evening, I went to supper with a friend whom I hadn’t seen in several years. Donna responded to one of my daily intentions on Facebook, and I reached out to her to see if we could connect. As we visited, I felt a kindred spirit in Donna, a feeling of being in the presence of Peace.

I can say that when I read the news this morning, I was relieved that in that moment, there weren’t any reported attacks or bombings, etc. I made the conscious choice to step away from news and television for the day and evening, which was exactly what I needed. It actually gave me the opportunity to engage with people closely and intimately, in Peaceful conversations.

What I know is true for this Peace Walker is the need to reset myself by giving myself permission to distance myself from everything electronic every once in a while. For me, today was that day.

I’m so grateful to have had the chance to be with Deb, to talk with the Doctor and to have supper with Donna. Tonight, I am feeling as if my heart has been refueled, and I am at Peace. It’s good to give myself what I need, so that when I meet others along the Walk, I can be ready to say, “How can I help?”

An attack in Japan at a facility for the disabled, where 19 were killed and 26 injured, and the murder in France of a priest who was saying Mass were two of the reports in the news today. In this country, the news was focused on the first female presidential nominee of a major US political party.

I found myself feeling deeply saddened by the events in France and Japan, and at the same time, feeling deeply moved to be a witness to history in the making.

For this Peace Walker, it is possible to be with sadness and excitement together. The energy of both were part of my experience today. What is also important for me, is to find the place where I can acknowledge the feelings, and let them pass through me. If my grip on the feelings is too tight, I become overwhelmed, and unable to be Peace. When I allow the response to flow naturally, I am able to release the pent up energy of the emotions, and I can remain Peaceful in circumstances that would otherwise be too much for me.

I want Peace for this world. For people, young and old. For religions, old and new. For first world nations and third world countries. For my neighbor. For you. For me.

As I began the Walk for Peace, someone said to me “Peace is really a no-brainier, because of course, everyone wants Peace.” The response – at least for this Peace Walker is simple, everyone may want Peace, but until everyone has Peace, there is Walking to be done.

Another attack in Germany; Florida as well

My heart swells with sorrow – I am lost

Daily distractions pull me in all directions

My mind wants to forget – I am afraid

Quietly reverent, I immerse myself in Peaceful meditation

My heart beats with hope – I am held

Reaching out, I give of myself to another simply because I can

My mind finds stillness – I am – you

The news of yesterday’s attack on a Peaceful protest in Kabul, Afghanistan, where 80 people were killed and well over two hundred were injured, lingered through the day for me today.

I had made the decision to take the day for myself, to rest and to make some phone calls, and to elevate and ice my knee. As it turned out, I was grateful for the opportunity to meditate and to take some time to consciously keep the people of Afghanistan in Peaceful thought.

Tonight, I am grateful for the quiet reflection I experienced today. I’m grateful for the opportunity to meditate on Peace and to invite that Peace to ripple out to all parts of the world. I am grateful for the stillness of meditation, and the urgency of the need to take action every day for Peace.

Just think about what would happen if every person thought about Peace for one minute a day. I believe that the simple act of  carrying Peace to one another is the greatest gift of healing we have to offer ourselves and the planet.

How will you spend one minute thinking about Peace today?

 

I often speak about presence as a way to Peace, and the words “just Be”, hold the energy of presence for me. When I embody presence, there is a timelessness to my experiences, because I am so completely in the moment that I am not distracted by my thoughts. As I have said before, when I am truly present to the moment, I feel a deep sense of Peace. I am not thinking about the past or projecting to the future. My curiosity is piqued, because I don’t have expectation of how the moment will or could be.

This afternoon held just such a moment for me. I met my friend Lacey Burge for lunch in town, and before I knew it, we had been talking with one another for the better part of three hours! Lacey and I have known each other since we were teenagers, but this is our first visit in at least fifteen years. When we greeted each other, I could feel myself relaxing immediately, and I felt deep gratitude that we had created the time to just Be with each other this afternoon. As we wrapped up our time together, Lacey told me I looked Peaceful. And you know, I was.

Who in your life could you reach out to and invite in? Could you just Be with that person, without distractions?  What’s possible from this place? And, how will you give yourself the gift of connection today?

When I heard the news of the shopping mall shooting in Munich this morning, I actually felt sick to my stomach. I found myself wanting to do more than talk about Peace, and not wanting to simply slip into my day as if it didn’t affect me. Again, I am too far away to be of direct assistance, but I feel compelled to do something.

I had been invited to go to breakfast this morning, and I had a really lovely conversation with my friend. When she dropped me off, I took Chandler for a short walk. As we walked, I concentrated on sending energy to Munich, and to my two German friends as well. I also learned that a third friend who lives in Munich was out of the country, for which I was grateful.

Later in the day, I received a call from another friend, inviting me to go to lunch. As we ate, we dropped into a conversation about health and wellness, and she shared some information with me that I actually think may benefit one of my friends from Germany.

What’s interesting about this to me, is that I was thinking specifically about Munich and about my German friends earlier today, and several hours later, a seemingly unrelated visit brought me back to them.

There are a couple of thing that I noticed today. First, when my heart and spirit are connected to certain people or places, I do not slip into my day unaffected. In fact, they come with me and the energy is connected, even when I may think it isn’t. And second, the more I reach out and say yes to being with others, the greater chance I have of creating a community where I can help.

How will you say yes to being with others to create community?

My friends, here is an interview with Linda Lombardo on Voice of Evolution Radio. I’m honored to have the opportunity to share the Walk for Peace with Linda and her listeners, and with all of you. Enjoy.

 

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/voiceofevolutionradio/2016/07/21/alexis-ryon-melcher-a-walk-for-peace-day-120–the-best-laid-plans

 

Today was an incredibly beautiful day, and my knee felt good enough to take Chandler on a walk near the house. Each time I walk on the path, I feel grateful that I am in such a lovely place. The path runs along a County water ditch, and as I walk, I have the pleasure of hearing the water flowing. I find myself taking deep breaths and noticing all sorts of things. And in the gratitude, I find that my heart is at Peace.

A friend picked me up in the early afternoon, and we went to lunch and talked. One thing that made the time particularly nice was that we sat outside on the patio, near the water. Again, I found myself full of gratitude and ease. The other thing that was special about our lunch, was that my friend was sharing with me the myriad steps she has taken in the last week to recover to Peace in her life. I could see in her eyes that she felt centered, balanced and excited about the steps she had taken. Being witness to another person at Peace is absolutely one of my favorite experiences.

After lunch, we went to look at the pool and the recumbent bikes at the nearby gym. I love that in the main workout room at the gym, the peace sign (top photo) hangs on the wall for all who enter the gym to see. I am feeling like I would like to have some exercise that doesn’t put pressure on my knee, but that helps me to keep the muscles around it strong before the surgery. Since we began the Walk for Peace, Chandler and I have gotten used to lots of activity and lots of outdoor time, and we are both more Peaceful when we get some of each every day.

I’m curious. What is something that you know helps to bring you Peace? And, how often do you give yourself that something?

Tonight, I had the pleasure of hosting the first of what I hope will be many meetings for Peace. A group of nine people got together in a local bistro (Valentina’s of Grass Valley – thank you), to talk about Peace. The ladies in the photograph were at the meeting.

We spent time sharing about why we were at the meeting, and idea generating about ways to involve more of the community in Peaceful conversation and action. Some of the people have their own practices for personal Peace, and some are parts of other groups within the community that are involved in Peaceful activities. We talked about how we might connect the various groups to increase the ripple of Peace throughout our community.

One of the things I had envisioned for the Walk for peace, was talking to groups of people and creating community around Peace. Being in the presence of these folks tonight was inspiring and fun. We had some fun with the 1conversation for Peace cards, sharing with one another the answers to the questions on the cards we pulled. And, I invited each person to take the card they pulled, and share it with someone they don’t know – in an effort to grow the ripple of Peace in the community.

You know, the whole time we were together, I felt a sense of Peace. I felt my own sense of Peace from deep within, and I felt the Peaceful quality of people’s energy within the group.

I am excited about the ideas we shared tonight, and I look forward to more along the way. Every day, no matter where we are, we can take one action for the sake of Peace.

Thanks to everyone who is reading my blog on the Walk for Peace. Thanks to everyone who came to the meeting for Peace tonigh.  I am both honored and humbled to be on the road to Peace with you.