Birdsong, Silence, Noise, Silence

The gentle peace inside me feels jarringly pushed out of me as soon as my neighbor’s leaf blower/chainsaw/whatever else starts up.

A moment ago, the sunflower was beautiful, the Nuthatch, Chickadee and Hummingbird were stirring magic in my soul. All was well!

And then, abruptly, all gone!

I’m dismayed at first. Then angry. I skipped right past noticing the activation, straight into self-righteous anger.

“How dare they?” “Why do they?” and on and on. I’m having a mental fight right past the line of reason into old mental habits, patterns and stories.

And just as abruptly, the outer noises cease. I don’t trust it. The nervous system made a pact in the past not to trust a ceasefire, because it might only be temporary.

And then I remember newer stories inside me. Newer habits and conditions. A condition of safety - here, in the forest, on the land. “Nothing bad is happening, I remind my body. Just noise.”

Gracie Mae stays curled up in her dog bed through bird song and chain saw and silence. It really is safe here right now, I have to remind my nervous system when she falls into old streams of habitual activation.

I wrap my arms around myself in a hug. I touch the earth around me. I am more present in and aware of this pause that comes after the noisy spell. I am Here. I am here NOW!

It’s possible to find peace here. From time to time. But it’s noisy enough that it creates the right conditions for learning how to make peace inside ourselves.

May the Peace inside the Forest meet the Peace inside each of us!

Come join us to sip some moments of peace together.