Wishing for Peace

The world just feels so heavy right now.

I can't even fathom the horror, fear, pain & devastation that some are experiencing. It's hard to know what to do except feel hopeless, disgusted, and guilty about my relative safety and comfort.

One thing I believe can help, if only to keep myself afloat, is to recognize and appreciate the light that I am blessed with in my own life. Not to minimize the suffering of others, but as a way of balancing the heaviness of war with the strength of love and light.

I recently moved to a small town of around 8,000 people. I work 30 kilometes south of the town and have been commuting mostly by car. On the odd occasion, I hop on the Route 22 Commuter bus and the experience has never failed to warm my heart and bring an enduring smile across my face. One morning 6 people got on the stop at the Townsite Grocery store (my stop) and the bus driver almost had a heart attack from excitement. Could not stop making comments of amazement. This same bus driver greets every passenger by name when they board and knows exactly which stop each person will offload. The driver on the afternoon route (also greets each patron by name) has taken the liberty to create a route of his own to drop folks off right at their front door. Just the other day he made one of his usual stops when from the back of the bus you hear a shout, "she's not here today, Will"; door shuts, bus keeps driving. This kind of small-town heartfelt kindness keeps me going.

I made a new friend on this bus. A lovely young woman who has recently relocated here as well. One recent Friday she had the day off work to write an accredidation exam. The next Monday when we boarded, every soul on the bus was eagerly inquiring about how the exam went. My heart almost exploded. I really like this place.

In other beautiful news...

I recently had the most serendipitous stay at a stained-glass chalet. After what was a stressful day of writing a 5-hour, $800 exam with high stakes, after driving a notoriously bad mountain pass in winter driving conditions; I found myself at this stunning oasis with a clawfoot tub and enough stained glass artwork to make your imagination soar. 

I could not have asked for a more perfect way to recover from the stress that was that day and it's lead-up. That morning I layed in bed for ~2 hours, sipping coffee under the covers, partially reading my book and partially daydreaming into the stained glass abyss. After starting the wood stove, I felt the solace of warm shelter as I watched the snow accumulate on the other side of the windows.

Pure tranquility.

Wishing for peace in the world right now. Really wishing.