October Word of the Month:
SERENITY
"the state or quality of being serene, calm, or tranquil"
 Why serenity? 
I woke up the other day and had this feeling. The word that came to mind for me was serenity.
I was at peace with myself, albeit for a very brief and fleeting moment.
I think it is something I yearn for and is often missing in my life.
One day after having this calm feeling about me, I find myself in yet another wave of storms and dilemmas that upset the proverbial apple cart.
I keep reminding myself of that peaceful feeling and try to bring myself back to it as quickly as possible.
The question is how do I get there and stay there?
The answer is easy. 
Getting there is a process. 
I don't know if we ever stay there. 
For a while, I was going to a weekly meditation.
It was a wonderful experience. 
A little bit inconvenient to get to, however I learned a lot and will find my way back to this practice.
During the sit, the yogi constantly reminded us to return to center. That center was our breathing. 
Meditation is not about blocking out everything around us.
On the contrary,it is opening up our senses to every thing around us. 
Sounds ,smells,vibrations even sights.
The key is to return to center, return to the breathing.
Over and over again, I would find my mind wandering.
Finances,what's for dinner,who do I have to call back,what emails need to be answered.
And then I would catch myself and return to my breathing. 
Cool air in. Warm air out.
Sounds simple right?
It's not!
We want to fight. 
We seem to enjoy the struggle.
Learning how to just let go is challenging.
Rewarding,but still challenging.
I find when I am engaged in doing the things I want to do as opposed to doing things I have to do, I am in a much better place.
So my challenge then becomes turn the have to do's into want to do's.
The internal conflict is then resolved.
It vanishes.
Yesterday morning I felt serene. It lasted for a few hours.
That's better than a few minutes.
Today, the world seems to be buzzing about me once again. The tumult level is rising. That is until I remind myself to breathe,just breathe!