In my body,
In my mind,
There is a war inside,
It is ignited by the war outside.
So much anger,
Chaos,
Hate,
Confusion.
So hard to feel peace.
The late Marvin Gaye,
Musician,
Songwriter,
Artist,
Said this about peace.
If you cannot find peace within yourself,
You will never find it anywhere.
Buried in the craziness,
I know you are here,
Peace.
I sense you.
I sense your presence.
Today you hide.
You can be so elusive,
Overshadowed by the thoughts and emotions that consume me.
They reverberate inside the cavernous shell that is my body.
It is so loud in here.
No wonder you hide.
Pausing for a moment,
I notice what is here.
When the world is heavy,
It drains me.
I notice my body,
Tense,
Lifeless.
My posture is deflated,
Tired,
And there is despair in how I hold my body.
It is cold and dark and empty here.
So lost and so alone,
And yet not so alone.
I know you are here,
Peace,
Afraid to show yourself.
Between the sounds,
There is a faint whisper.
It leads me to you,
Peace.
And I remember.
When it's cold outside,
I dress warmly and put on a coat and a scarf,
Gloves and boots.
And when it's cold inside,
I swaddle myself in love and compassion.
This is what draws you out,
Peace.
This is what I know.
So I will find you,
Peace.
I will settle in,
And I will find you.
I straighten my spine,
Sitting up straight and tall,
Bringing grace and dignity to my posture.
And then I breathe,
Take in a deep breath,
And then I release.
This is the beautiful thing,
Peace.
I do nothing.
I relax into what is already here.
Enticed by the warmth,
You will emerge.
You will emerge.
I feel my body breathing,
So expansive the air that fills me up.
It is light and warm and clean.
It feels like love,
Soft and warm.
I feel my body breathe.
I feel this love in my face,
The softness of my cheeks,
My forehead smooths,
Relaxes,
And then my eyes,
Relaxing the eyes,
The lips follow,
A slow,
Sweet smile,
The jaw softens.
And now I feel the warmth in my throat,
My shoulders relax,
My body softens.
With each breath,
The love grows stronger,
And it reaches further.
I feel it in my arms,
Moving down past my elbows and into the hands.
There's a tingling,
Palms of my hands and then the fingertips.
It feels like love.
This love,
It grows.
I feel it in my heart.
The heart is aflame,
A slow,
Warm flicker.
And I feel my body glowing.
Deep within the chest,
My body glows.
Down the legs and past the knees and into the feet,
My body warms.
So natural,
So beautiful.
The natural flow and pace of my breath.
I feel my body breathe.
So blessed.
So grateful.
I pause here and I reflect on all that I have to be grateful for.
Everything I need is right here.
And here you are,
My dear friend.
Here you are,
Peace.
Together,
Once again.
What do you say,
Dear friend?
Your light is so bright.
Illuminating the path.
I see it.
You,
My dear friend,
Peace,
You are a gift.
A gift too beautiful to be kept inside.
I slide you into my pocket,
Close to my chest.
Today,
I will share you with the world.
I will leave traces of your kindness.
Sharing an encouraging word here or there.
A pause to listen.
I hear you.
A steady gaze,
Eyes that lock,
That hold for a few seconds.
I see you.
Tiny gestures.
A light dusting of your essence,
Peace.
Today,
I will share you with the world.
