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Peace is Always Beautiful

 “Peace is always beautiful,” is a quote from Walt Whitman. Whitman, like John Muir, Rumi, Gandhi, Tagore and Thoreau - were seekers, and graced humanity with wisdom of their findings not only about the external, but about the internal. 

Internal seeking equates, for many, to the quest for Inner peace.  An inner peace not just as a fleeting moment during Tuesday morning meditation, but as a way to be.  I’ve received hints through the whisper of leaves, the giggle of a stream and fresh snow on  outstretched branches of a birch,  that this way to be can permeate each breath, even as it  lands softly on pain and struggle.  It’s true-letting go of the struggle… accepting change.  Seeing solutions. Turning inward for answers instead of outward for approval…it’s peaceful.  

Inner peace is also about selectivity and focus-of choosing a backpack that is just the right size and shape so it doesn’t hunch your heart into hiding and inhibit the freedom of your step as you hike your path.  Not being weighed down by excess duties and staying true to your dharma, you’ll have space to look and perceive and respond to life as a mountain hiker adjusts to thinning air as he reaches the peak.  Glad she didn’t pack a heavier bag. Grateful for each breath.  

As life continues to present opportunities to witness unpeacefublness, I am reminded to step into the woods, where I have learned from a tree and a trillium. They grow where they are planted, into what they were meant to be, with no excuses or pleas. They reach only for what sustains them. And in their own way, they nurture the living breathing planet without struggle, just by their own truth in presence.  Simply. They stretch to  sunlight, drink in raindrops, bend in winds, and shine beauty their own way. 

“Peace is always beautiful.”

Peace to you and within you. May you have a beautiful season. 

Namaste,

Sheri 


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