PEACE or a Fable Of THE BUTTERFLY AND THE RAVEN
Posted: September 24th, 2015, 7:58 am
(from my journal...)
PEACE, such a beautiful word. Such a beautiful concept but finding PEACE sometimes seems like chasing a butterfly… It flits here, lands there, blows in the wind, gets tattered and is sometimes caught by a passing raven (that naughty black bird!)… its’ beauty destroyed.
PEACE is illusive or so I used to think… What with the deaths in the family, the loss of abilities (my livelihood), Nathan’s & my health issues last year, the stuff piling up around me… lots and lots of stuff!!! Sheesh! It just made finding PEACE seem an impossibility. (Frankly tho, that was Susan’s illusion.)
PEACE was right inside me all along. Right where it has always been and the darkness (my analogy is that raven snatching my peaceful butterfly) was illuminated by a realization (that Eureka moment!) that PEACE resides not outside SooZen, but within that gal. (Hello!) I took on the world’s ills, felt responsible for people’s anger, thought I could fix things if only they were done like I thought they should be. Hah!
PEACE, silly SooZ, can’t be caught without destroying it. You cannot force inner peace. I find it comes in those moments when I just let it be, let it exist within the chaos that whirls around (and without) me it settles on the flower of my being. This is basically what my meditation is. Taking a bit of time to just be a butterfly without the worries of the past, the specters of the future become the focus of my life. (Oh yeah SooZ? That sounds simple, too simple maybe?) I cannot eliminate that black bird, nor should I. Both are needed and essential.
PEACE is absolutely simplicity. The more simple things are, the more PEACE I find…
Anastasiya Goers, a zen blogger and strategizer, talks about there being “7 Steps to Inner Simplicity” and these are great steps to knowing who Susan Elizabeth Appleby Lee is (Note: the commentary is mine):
1. Become aware That means, know yourself first and I do this by practicing meditation daily. It is a part of my routine.
2. Allow yourself to be bored Hah! I think this is a tough one for most people I know. Allowing oneself to just sit, or think, or pray or whatever one does for 15 to 30 minutes a day when there is soooo much to do (sound familiar?) can be difficult but it really helps me.
3. Forgive Start with oneself (a toughie) and realize that “It is what it is” and none of us can change the past, no matter how painful the incident or memory. Be kind to yourself, kindness will follow…
4. Resign as General Manager of the Universe Whoops! I am not in charge? (Hah Suzy, just when you thought you were!) There are mysteries out there that are beyond understanding in simple human terms. Some put a name to it but for me, it just helps to know that I am not responsible for the workings or what happens in this world and beyond. I just trust that all will be as it should.
5. Practice Positive Realism You may wonder (like I did) “what the heck is she talking about?” There is order in the Uni-verse i.e. birth, life, death and the stuff that happens in between that order. With a bit of practice, it makes sense and became, for me, apparent that all was in good working order. She talks of being positive but prepared for whatever may happen (I guarantee that “whatever” will happen but don’t sit around waiting for it!)
6. Write It Down Hey, I got this one down pat! Letting all that stuff that clutters my mind (memories, thoughts, plans, ideas, lists) are best put to paper (or a blog) and any place you want to write will do. Once you get it down, you can rest easier, especially if you are like me and have a very cluttered mind!
7. Organize Your Routines Firstly, one must have a “routine” and DS son Nathan has been the best example to me of what that is all about… (He has this one down(s) *wink* pat.) So I wake up, pee, let the doggies out, take a pill, turn on the coffee maker, go out into the darkened deck, light some incense and a candle, meditate, stretch, write, research, etc. etc. etc. And I try and eliminate “time wasters” during a busy day (or at least moderate them like TV and social media. There is time for that laters…)
PEACE can be found in so many places but the first place to look is inside our own selves. Bless those peacemakers all around us like that Jesuit pope Francis that is stirring up the pot right this minute. Like Martin Luther King, like Mother Teresa, like Mahatmas Gandhi, like Nelson Mandela, and all of the “saviors” that are legend, be a peacemaker and never give up your principles or beliefs…
PEACE my friends,
S.E.A.Lee
09/23/2015
(Goodbye Yogi Berra..)
“Nate Day”
7:04 am
PEACE, such a beautiful word. Such a beautiful concept but finding PEACE sometimes seems like chasing a butterfly… It flits here, lands there, blows in the wind, gets tattered and is sometimes caught by a passing raven (that naughty black bird!)… its’ beauty destroyed.
PEACE is illusive or so I used to think… What with the deaths in the family, the loss of abilities (my livelihood), Nathan’s & my health issues last year, the stuff piling up around me… lots and lots of stuff!!! Sheesh! It just made finding PEACE seem an impossibility. (Frankly tho, that was Susan’s illusion.)
PEACE was right inside me all along. Right where it has always been and the darkness (my analogy is that raven snatching my peaceful butterfly) was illuminated by a realization (that Eureka moment!) that PEACE resides not outside SooZen, but within that gal. (Hello!) I took on the world’s ills, felt responsible for people’s anger, thought I could fix things if only they were done like I thought they should be. Hah!
PEACE, silly SooZ, can’t be caught without destroying it. You cannot force inner peace. I find it comes in those moments when I just let it be, let it exist within the chaos that whirls around (and without) me it settles on the flower of my being. This is basically what my meditation is. Taking a bit of time to just be a butterfly without the worries of the past, the specters of the future become the focus of my life. (Oh yeah SooZ? That sounds simple, too simple maybe?) I cannot eliminate that black bird, nor should I. Both are needed and essential.
PEACE is absolutely simplicity. The more simple things are, the more PEACE I find…
Anastasiya Goers, a zen blogger and strategizer, talks about there being “7 Steps to Inner Simplicity” and these are great steps to knowing who Susan Elizabeth Appleby Lee is (Note: the commentary is mine):
1. Become aware That means, know yourself first and I do this by practicing meditation daily. It is a part of my routine.
2. Allow yourself to be bored Hah! I think this is a tough one for most people I know. Allowing oneself to just sit, or think, or pray or whatever one does for 15 to 30 minutes a day when there is soooo much to do (sound familiar?) can be difficult but it really helps me.
3. Forgive Start with oneself (a toughie) and realize that “It is what it is” and none of us can change the past, no matter how painful the incident or memory. Be kind to yourself, kindness will follow…
4. Resign as General Manager of the Universe Whoops! I am not in charge? (Hah Suzy, just when you thought you were!) There are mysteries out there that are beyond understanding in simple human terms. Some put a name to it but for me, it just helps to know that I am not responsible for the workings or what happens in this world and beyond. I just trust that all will be as it should.
5. Practice Positive Realism You may wonder (like I did) “what the heck is she talking about?” There is order in the Uni-verse i.e. birth, life, death and the stuff that happens in between that order. With a bit of practice, it makes sense and became, for me, apparent that all was in good working order. She talks of being positive but prepared for whatever may happen (I guarantee that “whatever” will happen but don’t sit around waiting for it!)
6. Write It Down Hey, I got this one down pat! Letting all that stuff that clutters my mind (memories, thoughts, plans, ideas, lists) are best put to paper (or a blog) and any place you want to write will do. Once you get it down, you can rest easier, especially if you are like me and have a very cluttered mind!
7. Organize Your Routines Firstly, one must have a “routine” and DS son Nathan has been the best example to me of what that is all about… (He has this one down(s) *wink* pat.) So I wake up, pee, let the doggies out, take a pill, turn on the coffee maker, go out into the darkened deck, light some incense and a candle, meditate, stretch, write, research, etc. etc. etc. And I try and eliminate “time wasters” during a busy day (or at least moderate them like TV and social media. There is time for that laters…)
PEACE can be found in so many places but the first place to look is inside our own selves. Bless those peacemakers all around us like that Jesuit pope Francis that is stirring up the pot right this minute. Like Martin Luther King, like Mother Teresa, like Mahatmas Gandhi, like Nelson Mandela, and all of the “saviors” that are legend, be a peacemaker and never give up your principles or beliefs…
PEACE my friends,
S.E.A.Lee
09/23/2015
(Goodbye Yogi Berra..)
“Nate Day”
7:04 am