A Peaceful Life

Natalie Goldberg's Writing Down the Bones Deck prompts - The Buddha, a historical awakened human being, said peace is the highest good. What is peaceful in your life? Dig deep. You might have to warm up: What is not peaceful in your day? Go, ten minutes.

In upsets, I say, is this worth my peace

if it isn't, and most of the time it isn't, I cease

to be upset. Sometimes it is about release

of upset to get to a place to decrease

pent-up emotion. Living today will increase

my peace. No worries about tomorrow or my masterpiece

~~

What is not peaceful? - Politics. Mainly politics. War, the economy, racism, what is changing, hurting people, and beginning to make things difficult for me and mine. Job loss. All of this and more can make my life not peaceful.

So what do I do? I watch very little news, stay out of political debates with everyone. Especially my closest family. I can listen and not respond or tame it down, change the subject, all tools that I know and have used.

A daily gratitude list is so helpful in taking the focus off what is not peaceful. Not in a pollyannaish way, but rather in seeing things more broadly. There are always good things to see, good things in life.

Natalie Goldberg's Writing Down the Bones Deck prompts - But please also find some trace of peace through your writing. Life is so fast. We forget about peace, but it's important.

Getting caught up in the fast-paced life

can bring much strife

It is full of rife

All you want to do is hide

spend time in the great outside

making time to go for a ride

Enjoy the peace and calm

that brings a soul balm

~~~~