A bit more than four years ago, I stepped off on a Walk for Peace. For me, it was an answer to a calling I had felt deep in my soul for a long time. I had the great fortune of meeting and staying with people I’d just met. I learned about the things that make people feel peaceful. I found an appreciation and a grace in being outdoors that was different from anything I’d experienced before. And, I felt peaceful.
During the past couple of years, I have leaned into and out of the desire to be on the road, Walking for Peace as I did before. However, my physical body has other ideas. So, in rethinking what “Peace walking” really means to me, I would have to say it is all encompassing. My heart believes there is peace, my soul seeks peace, my mind explores the idea of Peace, and my body reminds me that the starting point for Peace is letting go.
For me, the more I cling to how I think something should look or feel, the less likely it is to be that way. On the other hand, when I let go of my grip and believe the outcome will be exactly as it is supposed to, the greater the depth of my experience becomes. Also, when I let go, I have the chance to be fully present. Because I don’t know what’s coming and I can’t compare it to what has been before, presence becomes effortless.
As you think about it, what are you grasping onto that might give you some peace to let go of?
Thank you Alexis for sharing such a beautiful and rich process that you’re navigating. What I feel when reading when your words – is that by letting go, you gave yourself the chance to truly experience _________ (fill in the blank). To FEEL.
I’m curious to hear more about your thoughts. Is feeling your experience the gift of presence? If not, what does presence feel like for you?
Thanks for the inquiry, Guryan. I would agree that letting go gives us the chance to experience, feel and be present. Your question about whether feeling an experience is the gift of presence and if not, what presence feels like for me will, I hope, be expressed in further peace pieces.