How to Find that Peaceful, Easy Feeling (even amidst stress, overwhelm and uncertainty)

Recently, I had the opportunity to sit with a relative who was having an echo cardiogram – which is essentially an ultrasound of the heart.  It was an awe-inspiring experience.

We’re obviously all familiar with the fact that we have hearts.  And that they beat.  And that without them, we wouldn’t be alive.

But I realized that in many ways, we (or at least I) have become all TOO familiar with that fact.  So familiar that it’s easy to forget about it altogether – and completely take it for granted.

There was something about seeing that image of a real human heart – beating steadily and with such incredible precision – that simply took my breath away.

It may sound silly, but I couldn’t help but muse over the fact that the vast majority of us don’t have to be plugged into anything or pack pre-charged batteries into our bodies for our hearts to continue doing what they do.  We don’t need to set reminders, or worry about getting it right, or rely on anyone, or do anything at all for that matter.

A few days later I found myself sitting in one of my favorite places, next to a little creek under a canopy of sprawling eucalyptus trees that lines one of the streets in my neighborhood.  It’s a place that I can lose myself in entirely, so full of beauty and peace that if I sit there long enough, I can feel the stress dissolve like little beads of water that evaporate in the sun.

A moment later, a car came screeching down the road – very likely exceeding the 25 MPH speed limit by double or more.  My peace and ease were shattered for a moment, as I felt the anger bubble up within my body.  I watched as my quiet mind was barraged by thoughts of frustration and resentment, conjuring all kinds of unpleasant scenarios at the danger that was created for kids riding their bikes or people walking their dogs.

And then I turned my gaze once again, from the street to the little creek with the light dancing upon the water and the graceful, willowing branches of leaves fluttering in the breeze above it.  I took a deep breath, and in that moment I realized three things…

(1) I could choose which sensation I wanted to experience by deciding which thought I would give my attention to. The feelings of peace and contentment were still available to me – I just had to be willing to release the sudden attachment I felt to anger and hostility.

(2) The decision I would make in that moment would impact the trajectory of the rest of my day. Giving in to my irritation would not only keep me from enjoying a peaceful, easy feeling; it would also keep me from sharing it with others and using it to navigate gracefully through whatever challenges and opportunities awaited me.

(3) The beauty and bliss and peace I was previously experiencing, like my heartbeat, is always available to me – to all of us. I am just not always aware of it.  And sometimes I unwittingly choose to put my attention on things that completely eclipse my awareness of it altogether.  But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Despite the changing times we live in, the little (and big) disturbances we often have to deal with, and the frustrations and challenges that threaten our peace, we all have some things that are constant in our lives – that when appreciated allow us to feel truly blessed, loved and cared for.

As the holidays grow nearer, and we prepare to gather and break bread with people who are special to us, it does us all well to pause and appreciate with wonder and awe the things in our lives that we don’t often stop to think all that much about.

Here’s to the beauty that surrounds us, the love that is always available, and the uncompromising glory of our magnificent beating hearts.