Serenity can be so difficult to find in the hustle and bustle world we live in. Everywhere we turn are screens beckoning us to take a look at something. I have too many screens in my house: three televisions, two cell phones, three computer monitors, one tablet, even digital clocks that remind me every second of the current time.
Sometimes I need to get away. In my previous post I wrote about the 5-minute spring break and how poetry serves me well when I need solitude. I also turn to photos of very peaceful places. Over my desk I have a print of Mabry’s Mill, an old grist mill up on the Blue Ridge parkway. It’s many shades of green foliage, weathered brown building and water spilling over the wheel whisper, “come sit a while, relax and listen to the birds.”
The picture at the top comes to me from a dear friend in India. It’s Buddha with the sun behind the statue. Whether in India, Thailand or Japan, the image of a sitting Buddha brings me such solace, such a sense of peace of mind. This one is particularly poignant because the sun is behind it.
Serenity can be as close as my yard. Earlier this year, we had a wonderful rain, which washed the remaining leaves of my dwarf Japanese maple a bright red.
While I love world travel, I find I need to find serenity closer to home.
Where do you find serenity? Do you need to travel to find it, or do you look closer to your feet to find something wondrous?
During a couple of weeks with little serenity in sight, this is an excellent question for me to consider. The first requirement for me is to slowly unhook myself from the people and situations in my life, in the world, that inevitably interfere with quietness of mind. Next is to silence the useless speech in my own mind. In clement weather, the key is almost always walking. When the sidewalks are slippery, I retreat to a long hot shower. I hold my grandson; I watch my cat sleeping in the sunshine. I breathe. I sit on my sofa, close my eyes, and listen to the sounds of the old building around me or to the noises from the street. I am mindful.
Lovely way of saying that being mindful is what we should all seek to achieve.