Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. We celebrate his commitment to peace. How can we ever have peace in our world if we do not have peace within?
I think ‘Peaceful’ is what our natural state of being should be. It is Life that taries to inhabit our souls and take that natural state of being away. Somehow we have to learn how to find that state or perish with sadness, regrets, guilts, longing, exhaustion…. And the list goes on of what our reality is almost always like. We seem only to be able to find some fleeting peace. But there is a peace bigger than ourselves.
Lack of peace, and the spinning thoughts and jagged actions vsauses a hyperactive and overstimulated space of time until we can ground ourselves again. During inner fraught conditions, every system of our body is in overdrive. Soemtimes it causes actual pain and can be lifethreatening and se we seek Peace in ways we never thought of before. We can deny it or awknowledge it for what it is.. something in the past, or a moment ago, has kicked us into frantic thoughts and actions and we, alone, have the control to rein in this wild horse runaway time(s).
Try not thinking about anything….great idea but I know my brain does not ever ever just stop thinking and it is like that flipper game where a ball is shot up a slant and there are whackers all the way down that can keep that ball in constant motion into of heading for the dark hole where it stops. If I chance to hit the hole, well, it is then that there is relief that is a kind of peace.
If it is what we are actively doing that causes the strife, we know to stop and do soemthing else. If it is a person that is causing us some kind of striikfe, we know it is best to walk away. Why don’t we do that with our thoughts.. stop.. remove ourselves from those thoughts? Are we misoginistic enough to actually stay pingponging through moemnts, hours, days…. And are somehow happiest in our misery? We know peace comes from walking away. We have to know that stopping racing thoughts is best. We know about ways to use our breath to slow things down. But, do we do it?
If someone treated us like we treat ourselves, what would we do? Why do we allow our htoughts to control us, to keep us vibrating with negativity? Whay can’t we simply be kind to ourselves as we would be to others. We do realize that hurt people hurt people. Why not be just a little kinder to urselves each day?
Nature is a place to go to get away from stress. Water is a source of calming. I used to love walking out in the rain. I have blogged, bfore, about a song been written about me, about my love for walking in the rain. “Can’t tell the raindrops from the paindrops….she loves walking in the rain…” -JD. It was then that I could cry tears. I had long been unable to cry for msyelf. Ever. Unless… I could get out and walk in the rain. I came back from that walk cleansed and at peace with the sorting out of thoughts.
Sometimes we take oruselves and our lives too seriously. Seek laughter wherever you can find it. I am sure you have heard that a gathering of First Nations people means there will be great laughter involved. It is a release. Find people who make you laugh. Laughter is a place of peace.
Seek peace in doing art, creating,. Getting up from your ruffle-thoughted bed and do something that takes your mind elsewhere. Get out of a space where you are anxious. Go find yourself a space where peace can return. There can only be peace WIHTOUT when there is peace WITHIN.
I wish you peace of every kind.
©Carol Desjarlais 1.16.23
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