Everyday Canvas

My Places of Peace

Prompt: Peaceful Place
What place makes you feel most peaceful? Describe that place.

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I can find moments of serenity in several places, not just one. These places hold a unique power to bring me peace and solace from the difficulties of everyday living.

My most go-to place is sitting on my bed with the cat next to me and reading a book. Such a simple pleasure! Yet, it transports me from where I am to distant worlds and other people and places that I can only imagine. Maybe it is the soft comfort of the bed or it is the purring of my cat, but I feel, then, I am in a cocoon of relaxation. This is when the outside world recedes and any worries and my I-have-to-do-this-or-that stressing fades away.

A second place--strangely enough that I find solace--is in the mental image of my great grandfather's grave. This kind of tranquility connects me to my roots and the lives that came before me, a testament to a quiet reflection and the memories he left behind to remind me and my family of the oneness of creation and the cycles of life and death.

Another place I find solace in is on my porch. Sitting on a porch chair and watching the pool waters ripple and change colors offers me a visual symphony of nature. As I sit there, the cares of the world dissolve and I find myself locked in the reality of some man-made beauty. Related to this is me sitting on the sands of the beach and watching the waves lap the shore, which brings me in touch with the vastness of the ocean and the ebb and flow of the tide. It is at this moment that the rhythms of the ocean, the salty breeze, and the endless horizon evoke in me a sense of infiniteness, and I feel I have become a part of the eternal cycle of nature.

Then, I also feel peaceful watching the rain, too. Rain has a remarkable ability to cleanse the earth and the soul. As I watch the raindrops cascade down the window pane, each soft patter soothes me, offering a reprieve close to something magical.

At this time in my life, these are my sanctuaries where I can find peace in the present moment as they speak to my soul inviting me to their shelters of calmness so I can find an equilibrium in the middle of any sadness or disturbance.


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