Peace of Mind

On a cool breezy night in early October I found myself sitting on my porch in a somewhat flustered mood. The whole week I waited for inspiration to hit me and provide me with something to write about. No doubt the fact that I had worked for eight straight days was of no help as it left me with very little time or energy to immerse myself in the wild. That night, however, I felt sure there was a lesson the mountains were trying to teach me so I sat there waiting. The night was void of human noises and I listened to the wind blowing through the trees and the sound of distant elk bugling as they are prone to do this time of year. There was such a calm peace all about me that evening. At some point I checked the time and it was then I realized I had been sitting there on my bench for nearly two hours. I had become lost in the serenity of the night and then, at that moment, I suddenly realized the lesson I had just been taught, the enormous value of peace of mind. In those two hours I had been so comfortable and relaxed in the world around me that I had thought about absolutely nothing at all. I was not worrying, scheming, pondering, or otherwise mentally occupied by anything whatsoever. In the aftermath of this mental vacation I felt completely refreshed and happy.

In the world today it is a rare thing to have time where you can simply relax and think of nothing at all. So many things tend to absorb our minds. We think of bills that need paid, tasks at work that need completed, chores around the house that need attention, and so on. Is this why so many are exhausted at the end of the day and unwilling to get out of bed the next morning? Is this why the office drone tends to drag out his lunch break? Could this explain the working mom’s reluctance to pull the car out of the garage Monday morning? I sincerely doubt there is a single soul on this earth that does not have to worry, ponder, or think about many things on a frequent basis but I firmly believe we all need some time alone to free our minds and spirits. In order to do this, however, we must first be able to be at peace and put our concerns on the back burner for at least a short while. Rest assured that any problems you have will still be there when your mental vacation is over. But the difference is you are now mentally refreshed and energized, ready to tackle whatever life throws at you. Physical vacations can also have this same effect but often require extra mental strain just to plan and implement them. All a mental vacation requires is that you find some relaxing spot and dedicate a short time to clear your head and heart. This could be something you do once a week or even once a day. What more could one ask for than the ability to go on vacation every day? Some may have difficulty locating that special place where they feel relaxed enough to find such peace. Others are lucky enough to be able to do this nearly anywhere. I can easily find peace in these mountains but I certainly couldn’t imagine finding that same peace sitting on a bench in a city. Some people can do that though and I would be lying if I said I was not jealous. But in the end, once you find that spot and reach that calm and untroubled state of mind I promise the quality of life can only improve as you will have gained the ability to charge your spirit’s battery at will and no problem or task will be insurmountable to you anymore.

As I stood up to go inside I was laughing out loud at the trick the mountains had pulled on me. After looking so hard for another lesson for so many days it had taken me sitting and thinking of nothing at all to learn the lesson the mountains wished to teach me this time. As I prepared for bed I reminded myself that if I were to be a good student I needed to pay closer attention to my teacher.