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I feel serenity when I take my kayak out on the water, any water, just sitting back, relaxing and taking in the beauty of nature.
Seeing the first snowfall of the season here in the city. Everything and everyone seemed to become calm and quiet and at rest. The silence of the snow falling created peace and a beautiful white blanket
Shortly after my mother died I escaped to my uncle’s home 4 hours away. My mother was his favorite sister. His wife was in the final stages of Alzheimers and could no longer speak. We were watching a movie I could not tell you the name of. She reached over and held my hand, still not sure who she thought I was. We sat like that in silence for more than 2 hours and I felt such peace. 3 months later she would be gone too. I like to think she had already been communing with the angels.
when being centered in the moment
Sailing on a warm sunny day with calm seas and perfect winds! Also, cross country skiing or hiking on a nice sunny day with beautiful scenery.
There is a small stand of trees down near the water’s edge, called She Oaks. Their leaves are a bit like pine needles. When the breeze passes through the branches, the trees whisper. It is such a glorious, calming sound.
If it snows more than 8″ overnight I get up in the morning, gather up all of my snowboarding gear and head to the hill. The drive is a meditation, the excitement doesn’t serve me, which isn’t to say it isn’t there, but everything is on pause. Hopefully it’s still snowing. I get in line before the lifts open and make my way as high up the mountain as ski patrol will allow. I’m on a hunt for locations other humans have yet to visit today. I have my spots. It’s standard operating procedure, a check list. Eventually I find what I’m looking for, it doesn’t take long. As fast as I can muster, inches from trees, the shapes fly past me, the dark ones are trees, everything else is white, the sound of snow falling. I don’t exist. I’m mass and movement carving lines on the side of a mountain. I can’t wait. It’s coming again soon…
Music is the thing that helps me calm my monkey mind. Breath exercises are also helpful. Once when I was quite angry, my mentor suggested that I might try being serenely angry. That is, to own my anger instead of denying it. You can’t let something go until you own it. As a person who has struggled with anxiety all my life, I remember when I was first introduced to The Serenity Prayer…”God grant me the serenity to accept the things I can’t change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.” That was an Ah-Ha moment. Today, I equate serenity with being at peace with myself and accepting what is. That’s serenity for me even though I may be shaking in my boots.
In meditation.
Walking amongst the big trees.
Observing the leaves changing into a rainbow of fall colors, lining my path as I walk & some gently falling to the ground. I can feel the divine in these moments of serenity.✨🍂🙏🏻
The best I can do, is little bits of serenity,
as I am a worrier and a planner
and a comparer and a story maker.
But, I do get some sublime tastes of
serenity in certain situations. It’s always
when I can be in the moment and focusing
on one thing. Like riding down a trail on my
bike or during a meditation or getting
lost in some music or lying next to my wife.
Practicing gratitude helps me keep in touch
with serenity. I realize now, that it’s always
there, I just need to access it.
I had a moment recently. Lying on a beach,
covered in small smooth rounded stones
warmed by the sun, with the sound of
the waves hissing as they approached
and receded and the freshness of the
air and my lovely wife next to me. I felt
safety, contentment, warmth, and comfort.
Thank you for this opportunity to
contemplate and remind myself the I
do have moments of serenity in my life,
they may be transient, but they are there.
I experience serenity when I stop and be grateful. Yesterday I was a vendor at a craft fair. I made Polish Christmas Stars. The sales were fair but I got peace knowing that I gave participants a but of beauty. Their remarks were….. so lovely, so delicate, so beautiful. That warmed my inners.
I had to search to see what they look like – beautiful, I like the variety of colors too.
Serenity a time and a mind without worry or concerns…hard for me to determine a time like that…However; just sitting with my animals is a time of peace. Sitting outside and looking at the trees and hearing the birds is also a time of joy for me. Being aware of these times is a gift.
So true Dear Nannette. Thank you.
Sitting on my surfboard in the ocean under a warm sun. There was no wind, so the waves were rolling in glassy and clean. Watching others catch waves between catching them myself. Being immersed in that energy, I am unable to think about worldly stuff. It is ultimate serenity, and I am grateful every time.
Anytime I am on a massage table treating myself to a relaxation massage
Visiting Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales, FL
Hills Creek State Park in autumn
I enjoy the serenity and peacefulness of my home.
Coexistence makes me feel at peace.