A Place Of Personal Peace

This morning I had the deeply satisfying pleasure of strolling along the white sand beaches of Pebble Beach, on the central coast of California.

As waves washed ashore in an explosion of white foam, their roar echoing among the deep dark Monterey pine trees and junipers, I greeted person after person, most as happy and relaxed as I, all of us sharing in this joyous environment, that for the moment swept our cares away.

Your life and mine and the life of every other person is buffeted by turmoil and tension, whether from life endangering illnesses, emotional or physical pain, the loss of loved ones, heartache, job and income issues and many other problems. It is the nature of life.

But so much of our stress we cause to ourselves. Drivers always in a hurry is a favorite because there are so many of them, and I used to be among them. I was always pressing to make each signal, get past each slow driver, turn ahead of traffic, etc.

Then one day I noticed that not only was it often an illusion to think I got there faster, but even when I did, it was by a minute or two, and then that time got wasted by others after I arrived. Worse yet, I was often stressed by the process of always being in a hurry.

So I got wise. I allow a little more time and get out of the way of drivers in a hurry. Invariably I catch up with them anyway at red signals, the signals they raced to. And I smile and wave at people, many of whom smile and wave back.

At grocery stores, I don't switch from line to line looking for the fastest one. I pick a line and then greet everyone else in that line, including the checker when I get to the front. The whole process becomes a brief social gathering.

And each day, I make the time to meditate for 10 minutes as I deep breathe and relax my mind and body. This is often followed by a few minutes of an on-elbows and press up session, similar to yoga. In addition, I regularly exercise at the gym and walk as well for exercise. These actions relieve stress and keep the mind and body healthy.

We each have a choice in terms of our every day stress. I suggest you too eliminate much of that stress by finding a place of personal peace. I can't promise that you will live longer but I assure you, you will live happier.

Dick