Lily pads in the pond

Today is Friday and I was thinking about peaceful places.   Sitting at home with nowhere to go is peaceful.  Being outside with a breeze through the trees is peaceful.  Sitting down to dinner with a home cooked meal that is also healthy is peaceful.  What about all those other annoying tasks you have to do that can impinge on your peace?   How about paying bills or washing dishes or  picking up dog poop.  Ok, that’s kind of a gross image, but you know what I mean, if they do it you have to scoop it.  We all find different things peaceful.  For example, I find pulling weeds relaxing.  I can get into a zen kind of rhythm and after a while I have a pile of weeds and a section of the yard is weed free.  It gives me a sense of accomplishment.  Right now it’s peaceful here.  My dogs have had their dinner and they are lying down quietly, contented.  Earlier they were following me around with that questioning look “it is time yet?”  I took my black lab to the mailbox to get the mail.  He has bad arthritis so he can’t go very far, but it gives him a chance to survey the neighborhood, take in the smells, and if he’s lucky, get to say hello to another dog or one of my neighbors.  Today he stopped on the way back to rest under a tree.  He looked happy.

I have a peaceful pond in front of my house.  It has a little waterfall that gurgles.  And it has flowers on the lily pads.  Every pond should have lily pads.  Now I need some frogs to sit on my lily pads.  Looking at the pond made me think of larger bodies of water, like oceans and rivers.  It made me think of my vacation to Ireland a few years ago and another one to the West Coast.  Two different oceans, and both peaceful in their own way.

Western Ireland – coastal scene

I’m not sure how peaceful this would be if you were at the top looking down!   Perspective definitely matters in this case.   Think about the water crashing against the rocks and the green Irish grass that never ceases to amaze with its brilliance.

Here’s another water scene, this time on the West Coast, the Pacific Ocean.  I love this because it combines trees and rocks, sand and sea.  In the distance are some rocky cliffs and more forest.  I realize now that what draws me to these scenes is their solitude.   There are no other people in the pictures.  Does that mean that peace must exist without others, without noise or commotion?  Does it have to be quiet?  What about the peace of being full after a good meal, or the peace of being with friends , or the peace that I occasionally experience when I realize that I am not going back to the office today.  It seems to me that these sensations are all about an inner peace that brings a contentment, a happy feeling without anxiety or annoyances.

Pacific Northwest coastal scene

Where is your peaceful place?   How do you get there and what do you do once you arrive?