Giving Peace to Others
I’ve always liked this timeless quote by Lao Tzu:
“Only those who know internal peace can give it to others.”
It’s a great gift to give peace to others. It’s become one of my dominant intentions. What about you?
I’m not sure about New Year’s resolutions, but if I have one for this year, I think that quote embodies the essence of how I wish to live life in 2012 and beyond.
As I write this post, I’m sitting in our travel trailer following a week long vacation to Florida’s west coast. The two of us had a wonderful time with our cats in the warm weather at the beach. We took photos, shot video, read books, watched sunrises and sunsets while enjoying moments of blissful leisure.
It’s easy to experience internal peace under such external circumstances.
Here’s where it gets interesting.
I’m happy (and somewhat surprised) to say that I still feel peaceful even though yesterday took an unusual turn for us. We were driving though Orlando, Florida on our way home when our “check engine” light came on. After consulting the manual, we decided to find a nearby dealership and get the code checked.
The diagnosis was surprisingly pessimistic. We were told that our transmission would fail and that we may or may not make it home to Ohio.
Guess what? it failed…20 minutes before we arrived at our destination in South Carolina on pitch black roads on New Year’s Eve. With an overheating van, erratic shifting and not much around, it was easy to feel stressed.
We hobbled to our destination and managed to hook up the trailer when it dawned on us that we weren’t sure how to get home or when we will be able to do so.
The odd thing is that we felt a certain sense of calm. We suddenly had no idea what we would do on New Year’s Day and there was a certain freedom to that realization. No car dealerships or repair places are open on a New Year’s Day that is a Sunday, so we were “carte blanche” (blank slate) for the first time in many years.
When is the last time you had a day in which you were totally unsure about how it would unfold? Does that make you nervous or does that seem appealing? How many of us would choose such a day?
We didn’t choose it, but it has really opened my eyes to a new perspective. I’m an improviser who began learning how to create spontaneous jazz piano solos around the age of 12. But, I’ve come to realize that improvisation in the creative practice does not always lead to improvisation in day to day living.
I think the peace I feel right now comes from the fact that there was no plan and total surrender today. This was a big lesson and I plan to employ that wisdom.
I felt compelled to share this story, perhaps to inspire others to consider ways to experience internal peace regardless of external circumstances.
Peace and joy to you in 2012!
