Make yourself comfortable.
Let your body settle.
Feel the ground beneath your feet.
Or the support of the seat beneath you.
Notice your breathing just as it is.
Some mornings,
We wake up feeling peaceful.
We open our eyes.
And something within us is quiet.
Then the day begins.
A colleague or a friend.
Answers us sharply.
A text arrives,
And the words seem cold.
The exchange lasts only a few seconds,
But it stays with us.
Later while doing something else.
We think about it again.
We replay the conversation.
We wonder what the other person meant.
Or what we should have said.
Little by little.
That moment takes up more space.
Than we ever meant to give it.
I invite you to recall a recent moment when your peace was disturbed.
Choose something small enough to sit with today.
Let the situation come to mind.
Then bring your attention to your body.
What do you notice?
Perhaps tightness in your chest.
A constriction in your throat.
Restlessness in your stomach.
Take a moment to feel what is there.
Without trying to calm yourself right away.
You might say inwardly,
That affected me.
You don't have to feel peaceful right now.
You're allowed to feel hurt.
You're allowed to feel angry.
Your peace is allowed to be disturbed.
Gently ask yourself what hurts.
Was it the person's tone?
The feeling that you weren't heard.
A fear that you had disappointed them.
Or perhaps you simply sense that a boundary was crossed.
Listen to what arises.
Even if you cannot find the exact words.
Sometimes caring for your peace means saying clearly.
I'm not willing to be spoken to that way.
You can set a firm boundary.
Peace does not ask you to stay silent about what hurts you.
And once you have acknowledged the hurt,
Another question may arise.
Am I still listening to what I feel?
Or am I reliving this moment over and over?
If you notice the story repeating in your mind,
Make room for that too.
I've come back to it.
This is a moment of awareness.
You've noticed.
Where your mind has gone.
Come back to one breath.
Feel your feet.
Feel the air coming in and going out.
The hurt does not have to disappear.
You can give it some space while also noticing the rest of your experience.
This body,
Breathing.
The ground supporting you.
This moment,
Here and now.
Then ask yourself.
What would be one step toward peace?
Perhaps you wait before replying.
Perhaps you say how you feel without attacking.
Ask what the other person meant.
Set a boundary.
Or decide that,
For today,
You will stop feeling the conversation in your mind.
Let one simple possible action come to you.
You may think about what happened again later today.
When you do,
You can pause for a moment.
Acknowledge.
This still affects me.
Breathe.
And choose your next step again.
This is how peace can take shape.
In an ordinary day.
And the way we speak to ourselves.
And the way we respond to others.
In our willingness to return as often as we need to.
To close,
Feel the points where your body is supported.
Listen to the sounds around you.
And carry this question with you.
What step toward peace can I take today?
Take one more breath.
And when you're ready.
.
.
Gently open your eyes.
