Finding Peace…
“Nature is one of the most underutilized treasures in life. It has the power to unburden hearts and reconnect to that inner place of peace.” —Janice Andersen
After being welcomed by an abundance of bluebonnets lining the road into a favorite nearby resort, a dear friend and I spent this past weekend blessed by the restorative power of nature.
When we weren’t laughing and enjoying the joyful exuberance of children arriving for spring break (some with the bonus of beloved dogs!), the peace of the river and trees just steps away soothed our souls.
From this place of peace, it was easy to keep my equanimity when I heard that the President spoke to the nation about the banking scare caused by two failing banks on opposite sides of the country.
While maintaining inner peace wherever we go and whatever happens is optimal, most of us aren’t there yet. So, finding a place to help you restore it is important.
In her poem, Hold Fast Your Dreams, Louise Driscoll speaks about keeping “one still, secret spot where dreams may go.” I find bringing to mind a place in nature works as “one still, secret spot” where I can go to also find peace. So, if you’re feeling anxious about the news or the future, where might you go—in person or in your imagination—to find peace?
May you find and return often to the places within and without that bring you peace.
P.S. Speaking of peaceful places, one of my local favorites is Still Waters Retreat Center. I’m excited to co-facilitate our day spring retreat there with Leslie Wagner on Earth Day, Saturday, April 22nd. You can find out more below about A Joyful Connection Day Retreat.
A Secret to Peace
“This is my secret. I don’t mind what happens.”
—Jiddu Krishnamurti
Rooted in Being
“Look at a tree, a flower, a plant. Let your awareness rest upon it. How still they are, how deeply rooted in Being. Allow nature to teach you stillness.”
–Eckhart Tolle
The Peace of Wild Things
When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
—Wendell Berry
As many of you may remember, I (Dianna) seem to share this poem with you at least once a year. It is my go-to poem to remind me that peace can be found a few steps away next to a tree, in a garden, or in the wild woods. Inspired to share it again, may it remind those of you anxious about the future how a restorative moment of peace can be found.
