Peaceful Practice

In my mind I keep hearing the Eagles singing the title of their song, Peaceful Easy Feeling. My assignment this week? Cultivate that feeling despite what might be going on around me. Have you heard of the spiritual saying, “Do not allow the behavior of others to steal your inner peace?” Yeah, well me too and I gotta tell you, it’s a slippery bastard to master.

Conflict and animosity seemed to be hiding around every corner since last we met, jumping out at me in an effort to through me off balance. Sometimes I fell for its trickery, my ego hopping aboard the “I Am Going to Prove I’m Right Express”, but as I found my inner peace waning I chose to make a conscious and concerted effort to exit at the next platform where my heart was openly waiting to embrace me and those that seemed to be intent on manifesting misery.

Just as soon as I had disembarked the crazy train, strolling through the land of acceptance and calm, I was met once again, and again, and yet again by the hostile natives. They wanted to go to war, clawing and shredding my newly donned monastic robes, not sing John Lennon’s rendition of Give Peace a Chance. It seemed as though any old trigger within my psyche that had the slightest spark remaining was intentionally set aflame by the locals, their joy in direct proportion to the degree of agony and discomfort they might cause me. For my part, I appeared to perform my own unique tap dance as I jumped about stomping out those fires.

I must say, it was exhausting. Many times I had to pause to catch my breath, breathing in the tranquility and out the drama. The only thing that kept me tentatively tethered to serenity was repeatedly hearing the phrase, from some wiser part of me or the universe, “Don’t let another steal your inner peace.” “Right!” was my soul’s response as I made yet another shift back to center.

So, how did it all end? (And yes, thankfully it did end.) Well, I wouldn’t say I am a sensei of the art I explored this week, but if grades were to be handed out I would give myself an ‘A’ for my efforts. Simply put, I tried. Truthfully that is all that can be asked of us- to try. We are not here to ace each and every obstacle that might stand in our path, we are only encouraged to break away from unconsciousness so that we might remember once again that we are the masters of our own universe.

Be well and happy.