Why do we search for peace?
I believe there is nothing that quiets the mind in the same manner that joy will. In its exuberance, initially, we raise our pulse, quicken our breath and our tone and pitch change to indicate great satisfaction, albeit another octave higher and usually louder. Our movements are likely more grand, and I am convinced that our eyes must surely twinkle. We are more conscious of our manners, and are more apt to step into new directions we might not have considered before. We awaken to more possibility and promise. The peace follows.
Satisfaction, of course is relative. And it can change to the degree that each passing minute marches by. Which is exactly why it needs to be recognized and acknowledged for where it fits in this moment of life. Most of all, allow it, I say! Often we neglect satisfaction after working so hard to achieve it. We move on to what is next before fully enjoying our much sought after satisfaction.
I believe there is nothing that quiets the mind in the same manner that joy will. In its exuberance, initially, we raise our pulse, quicken our breath and our tone and pitch change to indicate great satisfaction, albeit another octave higher and usually louder. Our movements are likely more grand, and I am convinced that our eyes must surely twinkle. We are more conscious of our manners, and are more apt to step into new directions we might not have considered before. We awaken to more possibility and promise. The peace follows.
Satisfaction, of course is relative. And it can change to the degree that each passing minute marches by. Which is exactly why it needs to be recognized and acknowledged for where it fits in this moment of life. Most of all, allow it, I say! Often we neglect satisfaction after working so hard to achieve it. We move on to what is next before fully enjoying our much sought after satisfaction.
“I want a life that sizzles and pops and makes me laugh out loud. And I don't want to get to the end, or to tomorrow, even, and realize that my life is a collection of meetings and pop cans and errands and receipts and dirty dishes. I want to eat cold tangerines and sing out loud in the car with the windows open and wear pink shoes and stay up all night laughing and paint my walls the exact color of the sky right now. I want to sleep hard on clean white sheets and throw parties and eat ripe tomatoes and read books so good they make me jump up and down, and I want my everyday to make God belly laugh, glad that he gave life to someone who loves the gift.”
― Shauna Niequist, Cold Tangerines: Celebrating the Extraordinary Nature of Everyday Life
Sum of its parts
It fascinates me that of all the strength and power of any of these words, they are all stronger when used together. A cake is more than flour, for a simple illustration. Joy can be as small or large a part as is necessary to create magnificence. We are only few short next steps away from there at almost any given time. How we roll out our joy this week, depends on the other ingredients, in the right proportions. Blend well, to stir up all the ingredients. Do what you love, have faith for God's plan to reveal itself in your life, where peace, love and joy manifest in copious quantities. Or, just do it for the joy of it. Either way, count it as a win!
It fascinates me that of all the strength and power of any of these words, they are all stronger when used together. A cake is more than flour, for a simple illustration. Joy can be as small or large a part as is necessary to create magnificence. We are only few short next steps away from there at almost any given time. How we roll out our joy this week, depends on the other ingredients, in the right proportions. Blend well, to stir up all the ingredients. Do what you love, have faith for God's plan to reveal itself in your life, where peace, love and joy manifest in copious quantities. Or, just do it for the joy of it. Either way, count it as a win!