Small Pockets of Peace
You can access them right now
I will have no peace till I perish.
Introduction
Serendipitously, I encountered this quote several times of late, spoken by several different people.
Peppered with cynicism and hints of fatalism, it really was not the most pleasant of quotes to hit the ears.
Fortunately for me, I believe that I have the antidote to this poison. Let me share it with you.
Small Pockets of Peace
As inhabitants of this world, we will inevitably face difficulties. We should not actively pursue or avoid these difficulties. We should face them calmly with fortitude.
Fortunately for us, most difficulties do not persist 24 hours a day. We are often given ample time, what I would like to call ‘pockets of peace’ to recover from life’s blows.
Unfortunately, not many people take advantage of these pockets of peace. Many allow life’s difficulties to infiltrate their minds and corrupt every second of their day. This is folly.
How do we access these pockets of peace?
Mindfulness meditation
I am currently practicing a form of apophatic prayer (i.e. meditation). I picked it up a few years ago at a Christian meditation retreat ran by Fr. Laurence Freeman.
It involves sitting still for 20 minutes a time, focusing one’s attention on the mantra ‘Maranatha’.
This practice has allowed me to access pockets of peace throughout the day. Whenever I am stressed or visited by a nasty thought, I can retreat into a pocket of peace by focusing my attention on the mantra.
Bonus Effects
Meditation has trained my mind to be more acutely aware of my responses (i.e. emotional, physical, mental) to daily triggers. This has in turn allowed me to gain a greater understanding of how I function.
In a way, I have been able to extrapolate this knowledge to other humans and it has taught me how to better interact with others.
Conclusion
Life’s difficulties will always be here. We cannot avoid them. But we can limit the degree of pain they cause.
We do not have to wait till we perish to feel at peace. We can access peace right now.
For more information, please visit the link below:
Finally, if you need a meditation partner, please feel free to contact me. I will be glad to meditate with you!
