Peace is sometimes hard to come by, and can be fleeting. I relish the moments of peace in my life such as when the day is new, the sun is still below the horizon, and the birds are barely chirping. When peace is interrupted, it can throw everything off kilter.
I have been learning to protect my peace at all costs. Sometimes, I am not able to protect it and things swirl out of my own control. But the things that I can control, believe me — I work hard at it.
I overheard someone saying something the other day about how their life is an open book because they don’t have anything to hide. I thought about that for a little while and was reminded how I once believed that, too. Even when you don’t have anything to hide, people will write their own narratives of what they perceive your life to be. It doesn’t matter what facade you choose to show to the world, people are going to see you in the light they want to see you in.
It’s funny how many people I see wearing masks and presenting their lives in all sorts of perfection, only for the real story to be plagued with just as much instability as the rest of us. I’m no where near perfect. Sometimes, I cuss too much. Other times, I believe the best in the worst of people. But, at all times, I am me. It just doesn’t mean that everyone gets free access to the real me. Nope. Believe what you want about me. The people who genuinely love me know who I am and have earned the trust that others have breached.
These days, I protect my peace. And, you should too. There is simply no sense in inviting chaos into your life. Sometimes you have to face the facts about the people in your circle. Do they have your best interests at heart? Will they come to your aid when you are broken and need fixing? Will they defend you in public and in private? Honey, if they won’t, find you a new damn circle. Just because you may have longevity with a person in your life does not mean they are good for you. Examine what they bring to your life. If it’s chaos, exit stage left.
Sometimes we can’t protect our peace. The world brings us chaos and we have to fight dragons to regain ahold of that peace. I’m just here to tell you that it’s worth it. It’s worth every battle, overcoming every self doubt, and even stepping out on a thin branch to take the leap into peace.
There was a time that I thought chaos was the norm and peace was perhaps something to be achieved after death. I came to realize that life isn’t meant to be lived in a constant state of worry and despair. It’s not meant to be lived running around trying to achieve some arbitrary sense of accomplishment for something that won’t matter a hill of beans after we turn back to dust.
Life is meant to be lived enjoying the moments that don’t cost a dime. We are not meant to be building castles or chasing dollars all of our lives. There are moments every day that we miss because we’re too busy being focused on the things that won’t bring us peace. Everyone needs to make money to support themselves but it shouldn’t be the only destination in life. Money will not save us, and it won’t keep us from being lonely at night.
Life is instead meant to be lived cherishing the moments with the people that you love, riding down the highway on a warm spring day, just looking at the clouds. Or, listening to music on the patio while planting flowers in the garden or pinching the bad leaves off the tomato plants. It’s best spent talking and listening to the people you love and respect most in this world. These are the moments that pass away far too fast and you can’t recreate them for all the money in the world. When the people who bring you peace are no longer there, you can’t pay to have them come back. Love them now, cherish them now, and for goodness sakes, let them know it.
Peace is priceless, I always say it and I’ll keep saying it until everyone I know understands the concept. There are days when I sit in my little townhouse apartment with less than $100 in my bank. But the bank in which I store my peace? It’s pretty damn full.
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