This week I have been grappling with the wind. These last several days the wind has been relentless, blowing fiercely all day and all night. I found that everything rose up in me in resistance to it, or maybe I should say, everything I am in resistance to rose up in me. I raged at the wind and the wind raged right back. I was running against the wind in more ways than one.
And then today it seemed quieter. The wind though still strong had died down a bit, was no longer gusting or howling. I decided to go out for a long walk along the shore. I watched the waves hit the rocks and then rise up like big beings only to suddenly fall back down again. I walked into the face of a north east wind.
On my way home, I had the wind behind me and was being pushed along. The words from the Irish blessing came to mind: may the wind be always at your back. All at once these words made sense not just conceptually, but reverberated throughout my body as a physical truth.
Yes, may I go forward with ease, may the road rise up to meet you. When I experience resistance of any kind I can always change my direction, and have the wind at my back, even in the most imperceptible way.
And so in my battle with the wind this week I came to a deeper understanding of peace. Peace as an action. Peace as a turning. Peace as a choice to turn toward what is, and a turning away from inner and outer resistance. Peace as a turning of the face towards the sun. A turning of the other cheek.
And then today it seemed quieter. The wind though still strong had died down a bit, was no longer gusting or howling. I decided to go out for a long walk along the shore. I watched the waves hit the rocks and then rise up like big beings only to suddenly fall back down again. I walked into the face of a north east wind.
On my way home, I had the wind behind me and was being pushed along. The words from the Irish blessing came to mind: may the wind be always at your back. All at once these words made sense not just conceptually, but reverberated throughout my body as a physical truth.
Yes, may I go forward with ease, may the road rise up to meet you. When I experience resistance of any kind I can always change my direction, and have the wind at my back, even in the most imperceptible way.
And so in my battle with the wind this week I came to a deeper understanding of peace. Peace as an action. Peace as a turning. Peace as a choice to turn toward what is, and a turning away from inner and outer resistance. Peace as a turning of the face towards the sun. A turning of the other cheek.
*words in italics from an irish blessing
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