19 Jun A Pocket of Peace

Do you have a Pocket of Peace? Even if you don’t practice meditation, let me explain.

Do you ever get days when you feel like you are running from the moment your feet hit the floor in the morning, until you climb back into bed again at the end of the day? Or that your “to do list” is so ridiculously long, you know you will never get it all done? Or that so many people are bombarding you with requests that you don’t know where to start (children are particularly good at this one!)?

Of course you do. We all do.

I was in the middle of one of these days, in the middle of one of these weeks, last week. I could feel the tension rising in me and the desire to either scream at someone or run away and hide – or at least stick my fingers in my ears and sing the “La-la” song! And I thought, “I need a pocket of peace right now!”

And there it was. An idea. A saving grace. I took myself off to a darkened classroom and sat for just 5 minutes. I was undisturbed and it was quiet – well as quiet as a school at lunchtime gets! And I just breathed. I thought about a view I love and the sounds of birds. And I breathed. Everything slowed down, just enough. I felt my pulse slow and the chatter in my head, silence. I looked at every detail of my view, the sights, the sounds, the feeling of the sun on my skin. I forgot everything else. Just for a little while.

Then the bell went for the end of lunch! So, I took a deep breath and rejoined the world.

You should sit in meditation for 20 minutes every day – unless you’re too busy; then you should sit for an hour. Old Zen saying.

That evening, I asked my lovely Facebook followers what a Pocket of Peace meant to them, and there were a variety of places that came to their minds – spas, comfy chairs by windows- and a variety of pastimes – reading a book, drinking green tea, working in the allotment – and a variety of weathers – listening to the rain, glorious sunshine. All involved being alone.

But everyone had one.

So, spend a few moments thinking about what your “Pocket of Peace” is.

Imagine the space, the sounds, the smells, the sights. Create it in your mind so that when life is driving you loopy, you can recall it for 5 minutes and breathe. To make it quicker to recall and more effective, reconnect with that Pocket for 5 minutes, or more, every day, so that when you need it, you can tap into it to give you some inner peace.

I suppose it is meditation. I just like to think of it as a Pocket of Peace.

Mine is my garden in the summer, when it is quiet except for the sound of the birds and a breeze through our Eucalyptus tree. I am sitting in our arbour and the sun is shining on me, gently – not too hot. I have a cup of green tea and I have nothing urgent to do. There is probably a cat involved – they don’t understand “alone”! Bliss.

I’d love to hear more about your Pockets of Peace.