Life Is a River and Peace is a Garden
Short and sweet to start your week
Life these past few weeks has been…chaotic; a bit of a temporary departure from my goal of slow living. It’s thrown me. My equilibrium knocked off course brought me to a strange sensation, something discomfiting. At first it irked me— the disruption of my peace— but then the thought occurred to me that this is the balance. Growth requires uncomfortable conditions and peace isn’t a constant state, actually, no state is ever constant. Life is dynamic like a river. It flows ever onward, but not without switchbacks and new erosion; swelling and drought. A healthy ecosystem flourishes because of the adversity it faces.
So, I’m choosing to see the struggles as pieces of the larger puzzle of a well-rounded life. They are necessary reminders that peace is an internal garden. It must be tended with love and patience, and requires a mixture of every element to grow and thrive; to provide its fruit. Rather than despairing over the pebble in my shoe, I will appreciate the way it made me pause. The relief that follows the removal of it brings a whole new gratitude to walking freely.
In last week’s newsletter I shared a recipe for roast chicken and received some great responses. Monday Chickadee: In the Kitchen will be a continuing feature, so keep an eye out for more of that in the future.
I mentioned it was not quite the right time of year for most people to be roasting chicken due to the heat. My friend and loyal reader, Lorraine Anderson, commented such a fabulous idea that I can hardly bear it wasn’t mine! For those of you in hot and sunny areas, the sun can be your heat source and a solar cooker your oven. There is no option more sustainable for cooking your food than our planet’s main heat source. And on top of that, after the initial procurement of the solar cooker it’s no cost cooking. Heat from the sun costs nothing on your energy bill. Learn more about solar cooking here.
This next week promises the opportunity of great spirituality and joining of community. I will tell you all about it next Monday, right here, on Monday Chickadee.
Love this reframe: “Peace is an internal garden” and “the relief that follows the removal of [the pebble] brings a whole new gratitude to walking freely.” Yes. That pause? That’s where the magic sneaks in.
Also…solar chicken?! That’s a plot twist I didn’t see coming, but I’m oddly into it.
glad you appreciated the pebble in your shoe!
the pebble is most sorry...
and would like to be a pet rock zen chilling in the garden someday.