“Peace doesn’t mean to be in a place where there’s no noise, trouble or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things, and despite them, calm resides in your heart.”

When I was young, peace wasn’t something that even registered on my radar.  Not consciously, at least.  I’ve always been an introvert, so I would occasionally feel the need to find time to go off alone somewhere to recharge, the more “naturey” the place the better.  Growing up in the Los Angeles National Forest (yes, there is such a place!) helped too.  I literally had a mountain across the street from my house and I would often ride my bike down the street to access a point where I’d hike for the rest of the afternoon after school.  I had a hidden spot up on that mountain that I considered “mine,” it was underneath a big old oak tree where I’d discovered a little spring bubbling up from the ground, (an extremely rare find in often drought-prone SoCal!)

But since a cross-country move and then eventually marriage and kids, it seems like it’s harder to find the opportunity to recharge like that. It’s not as easy to just go off and soak in nature as it once was. I don’t have a spot that’s “mine” anymore. (I think “my” childhood spot has probably been bulldozed with a house put on top of it by now anyway!)

I’ve had to adapt, but thankfully through time and trial, I’ve been finding peace in other ways.  It’s still something I’ve been working on though, and it’s probably something I’m going to be working on for the rest of my life.  How do you find peace in the midst of a busy life?  Do you have a place that’s “yours” to relax and recuperate?