I flipped the page on the daily calendar and read the words: “Try to find a place where you are surrounded by the sounds of nature-a waterfall, the beach, a bird sanctuary, a place where the bamboo or other trees are blowing in the wind. Just soak it in.”
Finding a waterfall, beach, or bamboo grove in Nebraska may not be easy, but soaking in the beauty of nature isn’t impossible. The majesty of the cornfields rises all around us, a sea of green shifting in the breeze. Lakes and canyons dotted with cedar trees frame the horizon beneath 180 degrees of blue sky. Even a barefoot walk through the grass in my lawn reminds me of the peace nature offers when I pause to notice it.
Recently I paddle-boarded across a lake on a windless evening. The water was so still it mirrored the clouds above like glass. To me, that image is the definition of peace–quiet, calm, clear. That is how I want my heart and mind to be.
Ripples & Stillness
Later my grandson and I tossed rocks into the same lake. We laughed as the circles spread bigger and bigger. For him, it was play. For me, it became a lesson. The ripples reminded me of how quickly my peace can be disturbed. Disappointment, sharp words, anxiety, or unexpected news fall like stones, sending waves that disturb stillness.
I once heard a speaker say, “It is your job to get un-disturbed.” The lake showed me the same truth. No matter how many ripples appeared, the surface eventually smoothed back into glass. When life unsettles me, I have choices. I can light a candle, listen to soft music, journal, pray for loved ones, take a hot bath, read an uplifting message or plant flowers/garden. Each practice helps me return to calm and clarity.
Opportunities to take care of our hearts, minds, bodies and spirits are always within reach. The key is to notice them and to choose them. Life will always throw rocks–sometimes small, sometimes heavy. But peace doesn’t have to vanish with every ripple.
When I feel unsettled, I remind myself: it is my responsibility to get un-disturbed. The lake shows me that peace is never gone–it waits beneath the surface ready to rise again.