Breathe

On earth there is no heaven, but there are pieces of it.

Jules Renard

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I sometimes struggle to find peace. It's not because I don't want to, just that there's a lot of things inside me from the past, present and future: Memories, fears and doubts, concern over the future and about myself in the present - No different to most people. All combine to make finding peace-of-mind a little elusive at times and so I've devised ways to trigger it, to find the peace and solitude that allows me to feel grounded, more human and more connected with myself.

I have many ways to do this and depending upon circumstances I deploy one or the other, a combination sometimes, and seek a place inside in which I feel balanced, open to myself, the feeling of peace and serenity.

Music

Listening to music is one of the simplest ways in which I find peace as the right music can carry me away from, or towards, things through its ability to create emotive feelings. Sometimes it's the words and other times the tone, mood or beat of the tracks; either way music tends to settle me, give rise to emotion simply help to empty my mind of whatever it is that troubles me. It's also as easy as headphones and a few presses on Spotify so can happen almost anywhere at anytime.

Writing

Writing has always been a big part of my life and I've often turned to pouring words onto paper and now here on Hive. I know people out there probably think I write a lot here, but for me it's critical - Writing. There's many things hidden behind my words that mean a great deal to me or have provided some solace in a time of need; what may look like a post about a random topic could indeed have been a profound thought-emotion-healing moment for me. Most will never see that though, or even know its occurring. Writing means a great deal to me and I put a lot of myself into it - It's a comfortable place in which to pour myself, and also allows me to build protective walls behind which I feel safer. Through it peace ensues most often.

Outdoors

This is one of my favourite ways to find space. In natural places I can bring myself to a point in which I can think easily and with clarity, feel comfortable in my surroundings and within myself and also to not think at all, when that's required. It's that last that I find most difficult to do, my mind simply does not shut off. It's for this reason I can often be found wandering about in some natural place; the repetitive action of one foot in front of the other, exertion or just the surroundings, clears my thoughts; I feel comfortable there and it's there I can breathe.

I'm fortunate to have learned, quite early on, the importance of attitude and mindset in respect of one's physical and emotional wellbeing - I've had cause to, do right now and will again in the future; that's just how life is.

I'm also fortunate to have a deep love of the outdoors, an affinity with the planet and when in nature I feel so much better. I'm not religious and I'll never find heaven, whatever that actually may be, but I've discovered the knack of finding pieces of what it could be like here on Earth and today I found this moment, the feeling. I combined it with with music today, the track breathe by Fleurie, being just one of the pieces I listened to.

I also found silence, just the movement of the world around me, nature. It was in those moments I found the peace I needed to not think at all and it was welcome.

Life is many different things all combined and I know very well that not all of them are good moments; they're moments of our lives though and good or bad we have no choice but to accept life in all its guises, to breathe through it, and to do what we must to create our best version.

I'm reminded of words spoken by a man who did just that, Spartan warrior, Dienekes:

"Good, then we shall have our battle in the shade"

Dienekes said this before the battle of Thermopylae in response to hearing that the Persian archers could blank out the sun with their arrows.

It's a comment made by a man who had found the attitude and mindset he needed to move his life forward, no matter what, with conviction and passion. It's spoken by a man who had found inner-peace and it must have felt empowering in the face of such adversity and a moment in which so many other emotions could have occurred.

I don't have a battle of Thermopylae to fight today however I take a lot away from his mindset and attitude; Thought the light may fade we have the ability to continue; adversity need not strike us down completely.

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Today I found a small piece of heaven during my hike and it was brightly lit. I found a moment to sit amongst spring grasses and contemplate, to think and not. I found peace and stayed there for a while allowing myself to breathe.

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