Tribe Life Tuesday; My Lease on Peace

A weekly post from my childhood to grown-up friend Carrie ~ 

sharing her awesome life and her desire to have community while doing it!

This is the third draft I have started and, for some reason, I feel at a loss for words today. My mind longs to find a settled place, like my heart has. For the past week, I have returned to this place of needing to find peace and staying put, right there in my peace space. There are so many things vying for our peace space every day and if your space is negotiable someone or something will always be happy to fill it. The thing I’ve learned, am still learning, and will continue to posture myself to learn, is that peace is sacred. I desire to do nothing outside of it. 

Peace seems to be one of those ethereal qualities - it’s hard to describe but once you’ve felt it and know it exists, it’s hard to ever want to be without it. And locating it within yourself may be hard at first, yet it’s worth the search. Once you have found your peace space it is not something you have to navigate, you can simply let it have its way. There is no magic formula, you can’t make up the feeling, you can’t earn it, you can only accept it and settle in. 

As I watch the news, read the paper, or get alerts on my phone of breaking news, there are more opportunities for me to step into the chaos. But I have to remind myself often: see it, read it, don’t reside there. 

The truth of the matter is this: you have the choice and the power to live in peace or chaos. I thoroughly believe each one of us is equipped with all we need to live well and impact each of our worlds. So when you walk into a chaotic place, whether it be your office, your school, your home, wherever, you can either contribute to the chaos or bring peace to that place. 

I am learning that this is ENTIRELY AN INSIDE JOB. You, knowing who you are, have to resolve inside yourself that settledness will be your nature. This act without compromise is POWERFUL! And the beauty of this whole "peace above all else" notion is that no one has the power to take that away from you, but you. 

You are powerful in this. 

When chaos, anxiety, or overwhelm come I am learning to: 

1.     Stop & breathe
2.     Identify where the chaos is coming from 
3.     And remind myself: I am powerful and I will stay in peace.

Because nothing, unless you choose it, gets to determine your peace.

Thank you for reading. 

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See you next Tuesday. 

Carrie