The Beauty Of Peace

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There’s a fresh layer of snow on our streets and sidewalks. As I sit on my couch and watch the busy cars rush by, I can’t help but feel peace and solitude in this moment that doesn’t arrive often. Peace is like a wave. It comes and goes as it pleases. It barely stops for your appreciation. To me, peace is sitting on a couch, sipping coffee at 8:15 on a Thursday morning.

Peace comes when you break up your routine and give little attention to the future. It shows you what you’re missing as you rush in and out of the door each morning. The stillness we’re looking for is here. Always here. But we’re missing it. It’s there when you leave for work and wave to the corner crossing guard. Peace is in a kitten’s purr or the smell of cookies in the oven. It’s the feeling after a hearty meal and stays through an evening nap. Peace is in your favorite song or in a wish of good luck to a loyal friend. It’s in the touch of your favorite book and in the smell of your favorite scent. It’s in your lover’s hand as you trace the lines in their palm, each with a story to tell. Peace shouldn’t be measured in time. It doesn’t come in the form of tic or toc.

If you’re anything like me, you speed through life. You rush through that assignment, phone call, or store. We’re off to work and barely remember the morning drive. We are more focused on the destination and not the journey leaving us exhausted and overexerted. Meanwhile we’re missing the parts of the world that are meant to refuel us. We’re missing the changing of the leaves as autumn quietly approaches. The first snowfall dusts away before we recognize the beauty and calmness it silently brings. We miss the peace that the world is trying to show us day by day. Some would say it does not come often and it is not meant to stay. It catches you off guard and has the power to alter your mood, mindset and life. You can either runs from it or run with it.

The beauty of peace is that it will always show up. Even if you don’t take time to recognize it.