Dante, the Florentine poet of the Middle Ages, knocked at the door of a Franciscan monastery at Lunigiana. He was asked, "What do you want?"
Dante replied, "Peace." I think that maybe he was speaking for a lot of us – especially these days. But how do you find peace?
If you’re not ready for a stay in the monastery, I think one way to find peace is to look within. Get yourself grounded. Let me explain.
One winter morning I drove down the steep mountain roadway leading from my home. I was traveling slowly, actually just inching forward down the icy road. But the car had no traction. It was all I could do to keep it pointed downhill as I slipped and slid on the ice. Then I lost control and gravity took over. The car began a slow motion spin as it slid on its own down to the bottom of the hill. When it finally came to a stop, I was thankfully still on the roadway, but now facing the wrong direction.
My problem was traction. What had separated me from the ground’s surface was just a thin sheet of ice. If I could have only made contact with the ground, I'd have remained in control. I needed to be grounded.
I think life is like that. People who are not grounded lose control of the direction they are heading. It is easy to slip and slide, hoping to grasp onto something real. Or just hoping for a safe landing.
Nancy SantoPietro wrote a book called Feng Shui: Harmony by Design. In it she says, “In your lifetime the most sacred space you will ever need to create is the space within yourself -- the place deep within your soul where you go to find peace and serenity….” She’s talking about being grounded.
Finding the peace we need is really a spiritual issue. Get yourself grounded and you can navigate even the stormiest roads in peace.
-- Steve Goodier
Image: FreeImages/Michael Faes
