Peace & Pumpkins

Last week I had the privilege of experiencing the most relaxing Reiki treatment at the hands of Sandy Day that I have ever had.  I can honestly say that I have never achieved that level of peace before.  After, I found myself very connected to what I 'felt' like doing for the rest of the day - extremely present and in flow.  I even chose to clean dog poop around my yard willingly and happily:).

I realized the tight connection between peace and presence.  I'm not sure if it's a chicken and egg thing, where one comes first, but I'm pretty sure that you cannot have one without the other.  Where you have peace, you have presence and where you have presence, you feel peace - a never ending wheel that I know I'd like to ride!  There are a plenitude of self-help gurus who speak, write and teach about the value of being present but I have found it a difficult thing to achieve for very long.  I have moments of being there and then tumble quickly into thinking/worrying about something coming up or looking in the rearview.  Now, with this new understanding of the importance of finding peace, I am more consciously trying to get there and maintain it.

Enter the Halloween pumpkin.

Yesterday, I remembered that Clayton needed a pumpkin at the school for today.  Shattered peace.  Ack, why didn't I buy a pumpkin when there were tons of them in stores 3 weeks ago (past regret - no peace).  Well, at the time I thought "who buys a pumpkin 3 weeks out - it'll rot!"  Racing around High River yesterday, not one pumpkin to be found!  OK, maybe there was one but it was the bottom of the box, weird shaped half rotten one likely from 3 weeks ago.  "Oh no, what if I can't find one..." (anxiety, future worry - definitely not present).  Completely frustrated by the commercial world, I mean really,  can't one store in High River carry enough pumpkin stock to actually make it to HALLOWEEN - I head to Okotoks.  All the while, muttering it's a good thing I don't have to be at a job right now!

Anyway, the point is, do you see how fast peace can slip away?  It is elusive and fragile but critical to being here, now and alive.  I mean, really LIVING!  And it can be shattered by a pumpkin.  By the way, I found not one pumpkin but three at Country Living in Okotoks - so thanks to them, I have happy kids, a restored faith in at least one member of the commercial world and I'm back to peace:).