As I begin this year, I have set a course to do things a bit differently. To open my mind more broadly, to carry peace more mindfully, and to listen to — and honor — myself through the days.
Recently, I have been deeply touched by Buddhist monks walking for peace. Step by step. Quietly. Intentionally. Their presence feels like a living prayer, a reminder that peace is not something we demand from the world, but something we practice within ourselves. Watching them move slowly and deliberately has stopped me in my tracks and whispered, Pay attention.
There is a Buddhist way of thinking that strikes a chord with me: “Nothing destroys you faster than your own mind.” It’s a way of being I have studied before, but lately — as I listen to more caregivers’ stories and rewind my own tapes of days gone by — this truth sings louder and asks me to listen more closely.
I can overthink better than most (or so I think), and by doing so, I can manifest a storm on a clear day. Tossing and turning at night, replaying conversations, worrying about what might happen or what I should have done differently — all with no resolve. It drains my peace. I hear this same struggle echoed again and again in our Care Circles. Members share how they can’t sleep, ruminating over a current situation or one that has left a long shadow of loss. My heart breaks when I hear these stories, because I know them so well.
Peace within is the one place where we have choice. We cannot control the past. We cannot control outcomes or other people. But we can notice when our thoughts are adding fuel to the fire — and gently choose another way. When we return to the present moment, even briefly, clarity begins to replace chaos.
Caregiving — whether for a loved one or as a professional — may be your role. But protecting your inner peace, finding moments or practices that help restore balance, that is an act of deep self-respect. When you tend to your own well-being, you bring more presence, more steadiness, more compassion into the world.
We all vibrate on frequencies. The monks remind me that peace doesn’t rush — it walks. Slowly. Intentionally. One mindful step at a time.
How will you choose to walk today?
May peace be with you.
Cyndi