I Choose Peace

Peace. One of my favorite words... and the one thing that I desire most.

Each day is filled with opportunities to make choices. We begin choosing at the precise moment we awaken each day. How will I approach today? What are my issues or concerns? How will I deal with them? How will the decisions I make now affect the rest of my day? And how will they affect others?

Do you ask yourself questions like that? Have you given thought to how the way you start your day dictates your attitude towards everything else that happens from that point forward? For instance, the phone rings an hour before you are ready to wake up, and by the time you find the phone, the other party is gone. So, you lie back down and try to recapture your dream of winning the lottery or whatever. Just as you begin to drift back out onto the astral plane, the alarm sounds. I'm sure you get the point.

Whatever you had planned just got placed under a dark cloud if you're like a lot of people. For some of us who enjoy sleeping, it can really be a bummer to lose that precious time, and we pout all day looking for sympathy. (at least I do) But wait. What if you took another minute, only a small moment before you actually got out of bed? What if, in that moment, you reclaimed your power to decide for yourself how your day is going to go? Instead of falling for the illusion of a bad day, decide to be thankful for another day and get up with a smile on your face.

Well, I know it's easy to talk about and maybe not so easy to do. But I have found that by doing so, I have become a gentler person in noticeable ways. When I refuse to yield to the impression of a bad day and decide that I am satisfied with myself and my world, I am at an advantage in my effort to have a good day. My days are not perfect in some ways. Some might even say that I am faking it. They know I should feel bad because they also happen to know my circumstances.

I have learned a very important thing in my quest for personal peace: There is a difference between gratitude and appreciation. Gratitude is something I feel after having come through something or after receiving something. Appreciation is a choice I make no matter what is going on with me. I can appreciate my excellent health, my family and friends, my successful business, etc. I might be facing issues that are less than ideal, but when I am in a state of appreciation, it is ok. All is well. I will allow the gratitude to flow after I pass through this valley of uncertainty.

For now, I will choose appreciation as my main focus. It is helping me to be at peace. It is helping me to be peace. If I want peace for myself, I must be willing to offer peace to others. In offering peace, I avail myself of the Divine Peace that cannot be explained; it can only be experienced.

May your path be clear of debris. May you always have perfect peace without having to search for it. And may you experience appreciation for all you have... always.

Peace to you, appreciative thoughts about you, and love for you! -- jb

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