One of our daughters and her family are moving into a new home the week before Christmas, and if ever there were something that could be described as the opposite of peaceful, it is moving from one house to another. Chaos reigns supreme as we work to pack up life as we’ve known it, and move it into new digs. It is so daunting that it’s hard to know where to start, much less actually starting. Actually, however, starting is the key to the whole thing. Pick a room and pack it up. Be ruthless about what to keep and what to toss. Label the boxes with what’s inside and where to put them when they arrive at the new location. Keep on keeping on until that room is done, and then move on to the next.
Today we started with the kitchen, and as the day draws to a close, it’s hard to believe what we’ve accomplished. Our hearts are at rest, not because the job is done, but because it is underway, and room-by-room, come moving day, they will be ready.
Peace, which by one definition is a state of mental calm, is cultivated in part by taking that first step to address the source of our worry or anxiety. Be it a project, broken relationship, change of course, financial problem, or challenging conversation, once we begin to take action everything gets a little easier.
Peace, as it turns out, isn’t necessarily something we wait for. It’s just might be something we move toward.
