Peace is A Practice

What we focus on is important.  In fact, it has been said that what we focus on expands.  I was telling myself that one of my focus areas was peace.  However, a few years ago, I realized that everything on my to-do list was related to something else. 

I had items about organization, fitness and goal-setting.  Things related to work projects, my children’s well-being, other people’s problems, and church volunteer work.  If you had analyzed my schedule, you would not have found one thing linked to the pursuit of peace.

Once this awareness dawned, it raised some questions for me.  Did I really expect to become peaceful without any effort?  I guess I was expecting some peaceful magic to occur.  At that point, I made a shift and added some new practices into my routine. 

This led me to a book called Peace is a Practice: An Invitation to Breathe Deep and Find a New Rhythm of Life written by Morgan Harper Nichols.  Right from the start, I loved this book!  Her tone is inviting and down to earth.  She is also an artist and uses lots of imagery in her writing.  She invites you into the story in a wonderfully inclusive way.  While you are reading, you find yourself wanting to be her friend.

What you discover when reading her book are ways to expand your definition of peace.  More importantly, Morgan teaches you how to practice peace in your day-to-day routine.  In the chapter titled “Peace is a Cycle”, she says, “Practice is coming back to something over and over, even when we feel like we’re failing.”  She helps you move away from the “ready, set…peace” approach.  It’s an invitation into a lifestyle; a work that is always in progress.  In addition, her description of this lifestyle is compelling. 

The bottom line is, we need inspiration in order to “lean in” to our work.  Morgan’s book was inspiring to me. My hope is that it will also inspire you.  May all our to-do lists be full of peace practices because, what you focus on expands.