Contrary to popular belief, peace is not an elusive experience but an abiding sense of being that exists within us all. With all the turmoil that the country has gone through in the past week looking for a peaceful space IS sometimes hard to do. Oftentimes the real culprit is our own fears of losing something in the future, rather than appreciating what we have in the present. I have had to take a deep breath a number of times to bring me into the moment and to refocus my attention as to what is important, and what are the actual blessings that I am benefiting from, right now. It has been my experience that the fears I conjure up generally don't materialize. Not to sound unrealistic about the potential outcomes of events, it is just better for me to focus on what I can do right now. That focused attention allows the fears to melt away by it essentially not giving them energy to exist.
Sometimes the easiest thing to do is to turn off the media frenzy and to just go take a walk. Joe Steele and I took a bike ride in our community which instantly took us back to the impermeable consistency of life through nature. Life goes on within and without the concerns of man. The sight and sounds of birds, sheep, horses, deer and cows were enough to bring us back to a sense of peaceful acceptance of ongoing life. As they say, "This will pass too".
Yesterday actually began with a meeting of locals at the post office to do the weekly Claver-Walk. Led by Vicki Rosenwald, and joined by John Issacs, co-editor/publisher and designer of Our Town, Enid Futterman, author and editor-in-chief of Our Town, the monthly magazine of record on life in Claverack, Adele Slocum and others, the group of us went off, on an hour walking tour of our lovely hamlet. Along the way we encountered many residents enjoying their piece of the hamlet. Notable among them was the well-known artist, Ken Polinskie, who invited us in to see his new paintings and renovations. This time together provided an opportunity to get to know one another and to share our feelings about the political and economic landscapes and what we can do about it, as well as, the bucolic landscape we find ourselves in. Above is a photo of our home here, where bails of hay dots the landscapes this time of year.
2 comments:
Thank you for these words of calm and a vision of serenity. It is a good time to regroup and focus on the present and the local. Hope to see you and Joe this fall. xo- m
Thanx for reminding us all how simple life can be... if we just allow ourselves to be here, now, in the moment. Often life, especially now with this political and economic churn, seems to be something other than the peace it is. It is good to surround ourselves with nature, whose simple magnificence always accepts the ways of the world with a peaceful response. Or we can just pause, taking a deep breath, and relax... And in that relaxing simply release the cares of the day and renew our strength from the source deep within us... each moment, each day.
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