Last week I took the kids to go see Kung Fu Panda II in which Po learns to find his inner peace and channel that peace towards defeating a terrible enemy. Now, I am not sure if inner peace would help me with my martial arts skills (a body with about 15 years less living on it wouldn't hurt...), but finding some peace and quiet has been very valuable lately with stability of another kind.
We are all adjusting to the new normal, and while it mostly involves lots of laughter and joy, it almost always is accompanied by a lot of noise. Not only that, but there is a pervasive mental cacophony that is taxing for me as I try to gauge everyone's needs moment to moment, and must be downright exhausting to Alina as she works her way through two languages in her head! I am not complaining - truly this time of becoming a family of five with our amazing daughter is a blessing defying explanation, but...whew. A little moment of peace or silence would be lovely!
I took our dog for a walk tonight at dusk all by myself and while we walked, I just enjoyed the quiet. I slipped off my flip flops, took some deep breaths, and just listened to the sound of peace. No children squawking, no dog barking, no cicadas screaming. (I am looking forward to the next 12 years!) I heard water from the fountain splashing into the pond, birds singing their evening song, and the wind gently turning the leaves. I only walked for about fifteen minutes (Marshall's not really a distance kind of dog...), but that little window of quiet - in my neighborhood and in my mind - was more refreshing than a day at a spa. I feel like my mind is running a mile a minute most of the time, but tonight I found some inner peace and quiet where I could listen to the world and to God's gentle stirring.
If fifteen minutes of walking the dog alone in the evening can do this, Marshall just might lose the weight the vet keeps harping about.
We are all adjusting to the new normal, and while it mostly involves lots of laughter and joy, it almost always is accompanied by a lot of noise. Not only that, but there is a pervasive mental cacophony that is taxing for me as I try to gauge everyone's needs moment to moment, and must be downright exhausting to Alina as she works her way through two languages in her head! I am not complaining - truly this time of becoming a family of five with our amazing daughter is a blessing defying explanation, but...whew. A little moment of peace or silence would be lovely!
I took our dog for a walk tonight at dusk all by myself and while we walked, I just enjoyed the quiet. I slipped off my flip flops, took some deep breaths, and just listened to the sound of peace. No children squawking, no dog barking, no cicadas screaming. (I am looking forward to the next 12 years!) I heard water from the fountain splashing into the pond, birds singing their evening song, and the wind gently turning the leaves. I only walked for about fifteen minutes (Marshall's not really a distance kind of dog...), but that little window of quiet - in my neighborhood and in my mind - was more refreshing than a day at a spa. I feel like my mind is running a mile a minute most of the time, but tonight I found some inner peace and quiet where I could listen to the world and to God's gentle stirring.
If fifteen minutes of walking the dog alone in the evening can do this, Marshall just might lose the weight the vet keeps harping about.
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