Going Inward to Find Ease

“To return to the root is to find peace.  To find peace is to fulfill one’s destiny.” — Tao Te Ching

Choosing ease and actually finding it are two entirely different things.  In my last post, I wrote about a practice that I do every new year of choosing a word to focus on for the year.  This year I decided on the word ease.  I would choose to live in ease no matter what.  Good intention, and one I will still focus on.  However, a friend of mine told me to hold on when I selected that word, and the universe is deciding to prove her right.

Since I choose my word, the world appears to be in a major upheaval.  Very close to home, the weather in Alberta Canada where I live, has dropped into a deep freeze like none I have experienced in the 20 years I have lived here.  I am familiar with the odd day of -40 celsius temperatures with the wind chill.  This year though, what is unusual is that the temperatures are supposed to stay here for at least a week and a half.  Cold weather means I have to stay indoors.  I think better outdoors so I tend to get really foggy brained and fatigued from this forced confinement to home.  I talk to myself every morning about the fact that I need to stay calm and list off things that I can do indoors that make me happy.  That has been helping.

Then the United States decided to start a major conflict with Iran.  I am not a political expert, but the decision to me was not smart and certainly not what our world needed right now.  Then, Canada ended up being brought into this poor decision by having a plane headed to the Ukraine from Tehran shot down my Iran retaliating with a missle launch.  30 passengers on board are from the town I live in.  Such loss of innocent lives.  I feel world events very deeply.  Especially senseless ones.  This event is definitely within that terrible category.

Add on to these facts, the fact that I am overdue for my next Ocrevus infusion.  All of these facts put my fatigue levels and anxiety through the roof.  “You want to live in ease?” says the universe.  Let’s really put you to the test.  I am in no way trying to say that the weather and horrible political decisions and a plane crash are in any way a lesson for me.  But I do believe that this is definitely testing my ability to find ease.

For this reason, I have gone back to basics again to try to find a calm place within me.  I have been trying out a lot of new art supplies to work with different palets.  I found an artist whom I absolutely love named Laly Mille who works with art journaling.  I am going to use her as inspiration to do a spread for each month this year.  I also have been listening to a lot of podcasts.  I have found several recently that I will highlight in later posts.  Also, my all time favorite thing to do when I just want to escape reality, is to enter the world of books.  I am reading several books right now.  A piece of fiction by Jennifer Weiner called Mrs. Everything.  My vision is a bit off right now so I have been listening to it on Audibles.  I am also inspired by the non-fiction works of Byron Katie.  Currently, I am reading A Thousand Names for Joy by her.

I am also trying to rest when my body says I need to without feeling guilty or like I am “wasting” my time.  My goal right now is to rest up any way I can before my next infusion that requires my body to be in good shape to heal.

The reason for this post, is not to have you read about what I am doing.  It is to tell you that if you are struggling right now, be it with health stuff or the political state of the world, it is ok.  You are doing the best you can and try to find ways to find rest and peace.  Maybe some of the things I listed may be worth a try for you.  Maybe you have others that you know always work.  I would love to hear some of your tools you have found to assist with healing of your body and or mind.

Wishing you sunny skies and warm weather.  If that is not available where you are, find a good book, a soft chair, and a cup of tea and search for joy wherever you are.

Much love,

Christine