Finding Time For Peace

In This Article By Thich Nhat Hanh he speaks of finding time in everyday life to create a Spiritual Practice.  I find it to be a really good reminder that peace is always available to us at each moment.

Too often we think that we have to make time to meditate, or be more calm, or be more Mindful.  We wait until we can squeeze it into our busy schedules, except we have such stressful, busy lives that there never seems to be a moment to spare.  Planning on 20-30 minutes of sitting doing nothing seems like a healthy thing to do. It seems like it would be wonderfully relaxing.  But, something else always seems to come up and snatch away those minutes we had planned to use for finding peace. Our best intentions aren't always met with actions.  Especially, for those of you that follow my page with special needs kids.  We know all too well that at the end of the day what got done was what got done, and the rest will have to wait until tomorrow.  For me, it was always a tomorrow that never came, or at least not very often.

So, what worked for me was taking several small moments in my day to really be alive in the moment.  I focused on my breath, on my toes touching the floor, the smell of the air.  I live several moments in my day as if there were no others to consider. I was amazed at the transformation that happened.  It seemed to open up a new way of thinking for me.  I seemed to have more time, more patience, more happiness, more joy, more love, more compassion, more of what I'd been trying to manufacture through all the busy-hustle bustle that I've been engaged in all my life.  The world seemed to move slower for me.  I never realized before how stiff I held myself, or how much I closed off the back of my throat constricting air, almost as if I were predicting panic at any moment.  This was my constant state before taking Mindful breaks.

One thing that I did in particular was I took out my cell phone and took a picture of nature, or something else that I found fascinating, besides another person.  I took close ups of blooming flowers or a tree glistening as the sun set behind it.  I take one at a time and use them as a wallpaper on my cell phone.  Right now there is a beautiful purple flower that I took while outside with the kids while they were playing.  Doing this helps to remind me to look for the beauty in things that are all around me at any given moment.I can instantly remember how peaceful I felt in the moment I took the picture when I see my cell phone.   There's always something spectacular to look at if one is using the right mind to see.