I Can Choose Peace

 Wise owl.  And a very fitting quote from the Dalai Lama today.

Peace can come in many forms.  For me, it originates in solitude but may come through time spent on an open road and no agenda; time in a good used bookstore or a meal by myself in a strange town.

But I have found that peace can be shattered so quickly by the simple pettiness of small-minded people.  People who disappoint me and hurt me for their own personal gain.  It's times like this that bad memories float to the surface and I'm once again alone in my little boat fighting the demons that threaten to push their way back into my life.

Where do I look to regain that peace?  I find it through time spent alone in communion with the Universe.  If I allow myself to fall into a spell that comes from a Holy Spirit until my equilibrium is reestablished, I will once again be whole.  Meditation focusing on all the things for which I am grateful including my new life that is free of all the anger, resentment and bitterness that plagued me in the past will restore me.  At times, I need to remind myself how close that restoration is and how easily I can tap into it.

Or maybe a simple mantra from A Course in Miracles that says, "I can choose peace instead of this."  Indeed, I can.