Day 6... winter

“That’s what winter is: an exercise in remembering how to still yourself then how to come pliantly back to life again.”

— Ali Smith

The water ebbs and flows along the shore,

the moon, plump and full, then wanes,

the trees awaken,

sap flowing,

followed by a natural slowing.

dormancy,

pause,

quiet.

Each wave, lunar cycle, or season…

the cycles of the natural world,

gather, share, retreat, repeat.

A gift to just be…

to rest in the stillness of winter.

Peace tip #6

A season is more than the weather that we associate with a specific time of the year. It’s an opportunity to connect with the rhythms and cycles of the natural world… to find peace where we are.

Pause,

ponder,

propose.

This is Day 6 and we’ve done a lot of deep thinking about peace in place. Grab a piece of paper and pen before you begin. Find a quiet place.

pause: sit in stillness for 5 minutes (or however long fits your situation).

ponder: reflect on what we’ve discussed, jot down all the key phrases or words that come to mind about peace in place. Circle the one that resonates with you the most.

propose: and here’s the thing… today is about rest. So, to honor the cycle of the natural world, we’ll forgo developing an action item. We’ll save this for later.

It’s time for rest…

It’s time to be and not to do…

today is about honoring the rest associated with the season of winter.

peace is here…

What idea/concept has resonated with you most since December 1?

Updates:

The first give-away will be announced tomorrow (Monday, Day 7)… the topic for that day is light-hearted and draws on our creativity.

As a reminder, I’ll be providing an extra special give-away at the end of the 21 days. If you submit a meaningful comment (or email it to me), you’ll be eligible to have your name in a drawing. I’m doing this because it truly helps us build community, a vital component of peace. Also, your ideas and suggestions may be just what sparks and idea for someone else. Plus this encourages you to stay engaged on a daily basis, an additional aspect of peacebuilding. I love to see others commenting on each others posts… what an uplifting and supportive group. Thank you!

It’s never too late to participate in the knit-along. It’s so fun to read how people are using their peace shawl (or other knitting project) to center themselves and reflect on peace. Knowing that 100’s of others are knitting the same project as you around the world in the name of peace is a powerful thing. The pattern is available on Ravelry and The Healthy Knitter website.

Day 5... hospitality

To create a space, a place for peace…

not with the idea to change any other person’s way of being,

yet a place where change might occur.

McFarland Park, Ames, IA

“Hospitality means primarily the creation of a free space where the stranger can enter and become a friend instead of an enemy. Hospitality is not to change people but to offer them space where change can take place. It is not to bring men and women over to our side, but to offer freedom not disturbed by dividing lines. . . . The paradox of hospitality is that it wants to create emptiness, not a fearful emptiness, but a friendly emptiness where strangers can enter and discover themselves as created free; free to sing their own songs, speak their own languages, dance their own dances; free also to leave and follow their own vocations. Hospitality is not a subtle invitation to adore the lifestyle of the host, but the gift of a chance for the guest to find his own.”

~Henry Nouwen

https://henrinouwen.org/meditation/hospitality/

McFarland Park, Ames, IA

I can’t recall how I came to find this passage on “hospitality,” however, it truly resonated with me. Particularly, this: “Hospitality is not to change people but to offer them space where change can take place.”

So many pearls of truth in this statement, and infinite ways we might apply this to our own lives. Again, as I look to the trees in the woods, grounded, rooted in place they offer a sanctuary, a space for change to take place, with no intentions to change those who enter the forest.

Henry Nouwen, the author of the aforementioned post, was a man who suffered great losses in his life at the hands of others… yet despite these great atrocities, his heart was not hardened for life. He was able to find peace in place. You can read more about him here.

The word “hospitality” has always had a different meaning to me… it’s not really a word or concept that I’ve ever liked. And yet, this perspective on creating a space, welcoming others, is an entirely new twist.

This way of thinking of hospitality seems to provide a path forward to break down barriers…

Ponderosa Park, McCall, Idaho

Peace tip #5

Take a little journey and find a new space in your house, yard, city, or forest, mountain, or water way, not one that you normally visit. Have a seat, place your hands on your thighs and close your eyes. Notice your breath, shallow at first and then allow it to slow and deepen. As your thoughts begin to wander, follow them… where do they go?

How are hospitality and peace related?

Ponderosa Park, McCall, Idaho

Updates

Thank you to everyone who posted yesterday… that was a little more intense than I was anticipating. The backstory on my poem from Day 4 pertains to my own feelings of being place-bound and not at peace in the physical place where I live. I’ve researched how I could move to Shetland, only to discover that the physical boundaries we place on moving to new countries makes it nearly impossible to relocate. So, the outsider looking in represented my own longing to move and be part of the new space. I thought today’s topic of ‘hospitality’ might be a good follow-up to yesterday’s conversation.

The first give-away will be announced on Monday, Day 7… the topic for that day is light-hearted and draws on our creativity.

As a reminder, I’ll be providing an extra special give-away at the end of the 21 days. If you submit a meaningful comment (or email it to me), you’ll be eligible to have your name in a drawing. I’m doing this because it truly helps us build community, a vital component of peace. Also, your ideas and suggestions may be just what sparks and idea for someone else. Plus this encourages you to stay engaged on a daily basis, an additional aspect of peacebuilding.

It’s never too late to participate in the knit-along. Knowing that 100’s of others are knitting the same project as you around the world in the name of peace is a powerful thing. The pattern is available on Ravelry and The Healthy Knitter website.

Day 4... boundaries

“peace. it does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. it means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart.”

— anonymous

wall at Sumbrugh, Shetland, UK

Boundaries…

Creating spaces to protect oneself…

                                                         From others…

                                                                                                     Their demands, the push for more.

Physical boundaries,

Invisible ones too.

Keep out, stay away, leave me alone.

                                                          Boundaries from the unknown,

                                                          Create fear

                                                                                                     What’s outside?

                                                                                                     What’s lurking?

                                                                                                     Who’s there?

To separate what’s mine from yours.

It is my right to create my space.

                                                          Self:

                                                          in the center protected by the wall from all intruders.

wall at Sumbrugh, Shetland, UK

                                                                                                     Yet, what if I’m not the center?

                                                                                                     I’m on the outside looking in?

                                                                                                     Longing to be part of your center…

                                                          Let me in.

                                                          Let me be part of your space.

Won’t you share your space with me?

                                                                                                     Open up your walls

                                                                                                     Dissolve the fortress.

                                                                                                     Welcome others with open arms

                                                                                                     To create a community.

When will we break down the personal and country divides?

When will we honor the people and the land and move freely about the Earth?

                                                                                                     When will all be free to choose peace in place?

Reawick, Shetland, UK

Peace tip #4

I wrote this poem this summer during a writing course focused on “Sense of Place.” More to come on this later… I’ve been asked “what was I thinking?” I suppose the more important question is “what does this make you feel?”

We are in a time of building walls in the name of protection, some real and perhaps some fabricated. We wear masks, we stay inside, we create large personal bubbles (e.g. social distancing), we close out others, we build physical walls around our property, our countries…

Today, I ask you to reflect on what boundaries are there, self-imposed or built by others that keep you from a sense of peace?

What if you are on the outside looking in?

Looking forward to reading your thoughts…

St Ninians’ Isle, Shetland, UK

Updates.

Oh my, your experiences with the trees from Day 3 was inspiring. I love the connection that so many of you have with the trees whether it’s in your house, garden, forest, or even a memory.

As a reminder, I’ll be providing an extra special give-away at the end of the 21 days. If you submit a meaningful comment (or email it to me), you’ll be eligible to have your name in a drawing. I’m doing this because it truly helps us build community, a vital component of peace. Also, your ideas and suggestions may be just what sparks and idea for someone else. Plus this encourages you to stay engaged on a daily basis, an additional aspect of peacebuilding.

It’s never too late to participate in the knit-along. Knowing that 100’s of others are knitting the same project as you around the world in the name of peace is a powerful thing. The pattern is available on Ravelry and The Healthy Knitter website.

abandoned croft hoose, outside of Reawick, Shetland, UK

Day 3... the great exchange

With an inhale, the most vital of elements enters,

most often without even a thought…

we breathe,

tiny molecules of oxygen fill our lungs to assure our ability to repeat this cycle.

Deep in the lungs, the pressure higher than the next stop, the oxygen moves across a border in exchange for another…

for one molecule of oxygen in,

one molecule of carbon dioxide leaves…

it’s a train station if you will , called the RBC express.

This tiny vessel transports the precious cargo to the next transfer station…

higher in pressure than the next destination

with the ultimate arrival, the powerhouse of the cell….

it is here that life is sustained.

This continuum persists only with exchange,

From breath, to lung, to red blood cell, to mitochondria and back again, there’s an elegant system of reciprocity sustaining us from breath to breath…

Yet, maybe there’s a greater exchange that precedes the human breath;

the source of our inhale.

Standing before the trees,

seeking wisdom from the magnificent beings that demonstrate a true acceptance of peace in place,

rooted to the place they will spend all their days…

I gaze…

a breath in, followed by a shallow exhale…

I ponder…

a breath in, followed by an exhale…

I feel…

the inhale lengthens, the exhale slows…

I connect…

the exhale is for the trees…

the inhale is from the trees.

Connecting with the trees in breath… finding peace in place.

Peace tip #3

Step outside today, if able go on a walk, not a walk with a step goal but with the goal of finding a tree. If you can’t get outside, perhaps do this from inside with your focus on a tree. Any tree that speaks to you, stop and gaze at the tree. Determine if this is the right tree. Say hello.

pause:

inhale, from what the tree has provided;

with the inhale say or think “thank you for your gift”

exhale, to give back to the tree;

with the exhale say or think “and in return, I give to you.”

repeat this exchange as many times as you like,

begin to visualize the connection, the circle of breath between you and the tree.

notice your breath begins to slow down

ponder the relationship between you and the tree...

ponder this place.

in peace.

Thank the tree and say good-bye until next time.

Some updates:

I loved reading everyone’s posts from Day 2 “peace opener.” Keep in mind that any way in which you choose to open your day with a focus on peace is perfect! It need not be complicated… it can be as simple as “hello day, I welcome peace.” No matter your morning ritual, remember to name “peace” as part of your process.

As a reminder, I’ll be providing an extra special give-away at the end of the 21 days. If you submit a meaningful comment (or email it to me), you’ll be eligible to have your name in a drawing. I’m doing this because it truly helps us build community, a vital component of peace. Also, your ideas and suggestions may be just what sparks and idea for someone else. Plus this encourages you to stay engaged on a daily basis, an additional aspect of peacebuilding.

It’s never too late to participate in the knit-along. Knowing that 100’s of others are knitting the same project as you around the world in the name of peace is a powerful thing. The pattern is available on Ravelry and The Healthy Knitter website.

Looking forward to reading everyone’s experience focusing on breath and the tree.