Peace is...

I've been thinking about peace a lot lately. Not the "opposite of wartime" meaning, but that bone-deep, inner peace that is achieved in one's heart and mind. I posted an open-ended question on Facebook yesterday that said, "Peace is..." Here are some of the answers I got -
Peace is... born of acceptance of the beautiful differences that surround us.
Peace is... joy resting; Joy is peace dancing.
Peace is... acceptance. When you can accept who you are, you will be at peace.
All were beautiful. All were personal. But I only got seven responses. Seven. Seven people out of 635 friends had an idea of what peace is for them. One of the big things I believe we lack as an advanced civilization is the idea of peace. I love this old Zen saying - 

 You should sit in meditation for 20 minutes a day, unless you’re too busy. 

Then you should sit for an hour.

The truth is that too many of us will not carve out an hour a day to care for ourselves. We wonder why there is so much stress in life, why on some days, it feels as if you cannot even draw a breath. Maybe answers would come if we followed that Zen principle. 

Get alone somewhere. Just sit. 

Don't talk. Sit only. 

Set an alarm to mark your time so your brain isn't occupied doing it.

I could hypothesize that many people wouldn't know what to think about, what to do while you're sitting. In time, it will come to you. Try getting alone every day for one week, and tell me it doesn't help... you'll be a liar. It will help. When I find a moment, even if I'm elbows deep in some meaningless task, I go to another place in my mind. For instance -

Yesterday, my family and I went to the beach and everyone was worn out when we got back. Both of the kids were knocked out and JD and his brother played a video game. I saw my moment. I grabbed my Kindle, stepped out of the camper, and set up shop in nature. I read for a bit but the imagery of the story drew me into my own thoughts and away from the written words. I found myself here...

and here...

and here.

See, to me, peace is an ever-changing state. I find it when I stop for a few minutes. I have to force myself to, because I know I need it. I find it when I catch some time between the constant demands of running my home and caring for my men. It may not seem like much, but my sanity rests in those small snatches of time. I treasure those moments. Peace is in the run I get to go on by myself. Peace is in those few fleeting moments on a patio, book in hand. Peace is in those sweet, trusting moments when my child relaxes into dreamland, heavy in my arms. I hope to be ever-searching for peace... and I hope you are too. Without peace and serenity, this world will carry you away. Find your peace. Leave your mark.