“Busy your mind with the concepts of harmony, health, peace, and good will, and wonders will happen in your life (Joseph Murphy).”
Our thoughts direct our attention. Our attention grabs hold of our energy. Our energy drives us toward what we think about. When we fill our mind with good thoughts and direct our attention to them. Good things inevitably surround us.
“The more tranquil a man becomes, the greater is his success, his influence, his power for good. Calmness of mind is one of the beautiful jewels of wisdom (James Allen).” We all know the feeling in the pit of our stomachs when we are upset. We know what it feels like in the middle of the night when our mind will not quiet down. Seeking inner peace is a good goal for anyone. When we are peaceful we see more clearly. Our minds cease being cluttered and we make better decisions.
A Celtic Blessing
May the road rise up
To meet you.
May the wind be always
At your back.
May the sun shine warm
upon your face.
May the rain fall soft
upon your field,
And until we meet again.
May God hold you in the palm of his hand.
“Peace is always beautiful (Walt Whitman).” It’s not healthy to work in an environment where one has to worry about his or her emotional or physical safety. It’s not healthy to live in a world where leaders believe that war and destruction is better than living in harmony and peaceful competition. Working for peace is hard work. It takes courage to listen to different ideas. It takes courage to let go of past grievances. It takes courage to let go the myths that hang around our necks like anchors. If we have the courage to do so, peace is possible and how beautiful peace will be.
“A little smile, a word of cheer, A bit of love from someone near, A little gift from one held dear, Best wishes for the coming year. These make a merry christmas!”
What if I visited a place of worship (church, synagogue, temple, mosque, or a sacred space known only to you)? What would I experience. My experience is if I sit quietly, with a grateful mindset, I experience a growing sense of peace and desire to linger longer than I intended to linger. I leave feeling one with those I encounter and with all aspects of creation. The feeling gradually wears off, but I know, like my car, I have to refill (or recharge) it periodically.
What if I kept a daily grateful journal, what would I experience? I don’t know what you’ll experience, however, I can share what I experience. Each day after dinner, I set aside quiet time where I make my list of those things for which I was grateful for during the day. As I’m making my list, I find a great sense of peace coming over me. I don’t think about it, it just happens. When I’m finished with my list, I often sit and and enjoy the deep peaceful feeling that has grabbed hold of me.
What if I didn’t watch TV/Cable for one week – What would I experience? Would I find myself going online more, watching YouTube, or streaming? That almost sounds like an addiction, right? We’ve all been conditioned to head to some form of digital media. Going on a periodic crash diet from digital media may be just the thing to clear our minds, help us to find a place of inner calm, and get to know the people with live with a lot better.
What if I stopped to think before reacting? That’s another tough one for me. I can blame it on my DNA and say I’ve come from a long line of reactors (LOL – if you’ve ever been to an Italian family Sunday dinner, you’ll know what I mean). Or, I could slam the brakes and stop before I react. We each receive thousands of stimuli each day. We react to the stimuli. Most of our reactions go unnoticed. There are times when our reactions are strong and out of proportion to the stimuli. When we slow the process down, we can hit the pause button on our reaction, let our emotions even out, and then make an appropriate response. How long should we pause? As long as it takes to return to a sense of peace and determine an appropriate response.
“If there is to be peace in the world,
There must be peace in the nations.
If there is to be peace in the nations,
There must be peace in the cities.
If there is to be peace in the cities,
There must be peace between neighbors.
If there is to be peace between neighbors,
There must be peace in the home.
If there is to be peace in the home,
There must be peace in the heart.”
―
