Practicing introspection has led me to arrive at a few conclusions lately.
Mindfulness: Take time to contemplate that and those which enrich your life, and be thankful.
Gratitude A little bit of gratitude can carry you further than you may realize.
Honesty: Before you can be truly honest with others, you must first be completely honest with yourself.
Faith: Have faith that the path you are traveling is the one you were intended for. It will undoubtedly get steeper and rougher than you though, so be faithful, but also be prepared.
Friendship: Friendship can occur when least expected, so create opportunity for these relationships to blossom. These people are put in your path for a reason.
A few things that have influenced my life recently: politics, world news, family.
These all seem to connect lately. I have been following the tumultuous landscape of global interaction and our federal government. The world is uncertain, but this is not new, rather, this is the norm. These uncertainties, if left unchecked, are fearsome and daunting. But I have concluded that change and stability comes from within. The world is topsy-turvy due mainly to the alarming number of individuals who seek not peace but self gratification from controlling those around them, and those who have failed to realize that they must first look into their inner-self and make peace there.
It is all too simple to overlook the small things that, once noticed, blossom, filling your mind and body and soul with simple beauty and joy and calm. Let them grow so that they leave no room for negative, stressful factors that smolder and stain and breed toxic discontent.
I look to my family and friends and to nature for this. The infinite depth of loving, blue eyes. The way the sunlight is captured and radiated through sweet innocence. The confidence instilled through a crisp autumn day. The serenity of gentle snores echoed by birds chirping in the afternoon or crickets in the still of the night. The fleeting moments that happen only once in a lifetime, watching children grow and play.
I have decided that these are the things I need most to nurture my inner peace and will do what I can to protect the world that makes this beauty thrive. To do this, I must gain the confidence to use this protective power. I must embrace things that I have been reluctant to in the past and have the courage to let go of the people and things that have become mere filler, for everything has a purpose, but if it's in a few days or a few decades, everything will have served its purpose and must move on.
