There is a gentle breeze dancing through the trees, the birds are singing, the sun is warming on this cool late spring morning. In this moment, there is no rushing around, no sound of traffic, nothing to disturb this peacefulness.
Things could easily be different. I could be focusing on the pressing deadlines, lengthy to do list, what I could or should have said or done differently yesterday, all the things I needed to do over the past week that still haven’t been completed. But that would destroy the peace. Right now, I need the peace.
Sometimes, things happen that destroy our peace that we have no control over. Grief, for instance, can appear unexpectedly and often at the most inappropriate of times. A replay of something traumatic grips our minds and we can’t seem to hit stop on the highlight reel. Overall, these are more exceptions to the rule for most people and are, for the most part, temporary if we are willing to be present to the waves of sudden and unexpected emotions that flood over us.
More often, we destroy our own peace through our actions and reactions. We choose to worry, rush, choose busy. In many ways, I believe, it’s a protection mechanism. If we were to settle in and be still enough to let the mud settle, the fear of what we will find is so great we stir the mud again. Somewhere deep down, there may even reside a guilt and shame about having peace. Maybe we feel we don’t deserve it. So we stir the mud.
Without the stories that destroy the peace within us, who are we? Can you even imagine that person? It’s easy to automatically say yes, but I would encourage you to really try to see who you would be and what your life looks like when you operate from a place of peace. If you cannot imagine it, digging into what’s stopping you is a worthy exploration. You deserve peace. Your life is waiting for you to discover that.