Peace Is Hard To Find

Peace is hard to find. Life is so full of things, and moves fast. Does it feel to you also that the amount of content you can find online is overwhelming? That word doesn’t quite get it… It’s distracting, intimidating, and a tempting waste of time all at the same time. Why is it so easy to get carried away by your mind? I don’t know if I’ll ever know. What I do know is that walking outside and being among the new green leaves, lilac blossoms, wind sounds and bird song is peaceful. Time not working is also peaceful. So is waking up late, then spending the morning in bed. Laughing, sitting quietly, getting excited about things, showing love to another being, playing music for no one but yourself, writing without any expectation, cooking tasty treats, drawing made up pictures, all of these feel peaceful.
Things I’m excited about:

  • Cooking this thai green curry sometime. I made one recently just with curry paste and coconut milk, etc. It was all right, but I was curious about how to make a really good one. This recipe is apparently from a very good chef. I only saw two things in there (except the prawns which will be tofu) that are not vegan: shrimp paste, and fish sauce. From my research, it seems that red miso paste and soy sauce make good substitutions for those. I can’t wait to try and make it!

  • Doing more creative writing and also artwork. I write fiction sometimes, just for myself. I had stopped doing it for a while when life got too busy, but I often think about it and I feel I’m ready to do it again in my own time. Who knows, in some far off day maybe I’ll be able to share some of it. The artwork is newer, as I haven’t done much of that at all over the last decade or so. But I love drawing, and I’m not bad at it. And I am also ready to start doing that again, just for fun. Maybe you’ll see a drawing up here sometime!
  • Summer weather. I didn’t experience such dramatic seasons at all when I was growing up. The fact that winter is so cold here, and summer so warm, is something you can’t ignore. When I was younger I don’t remember ever being very aware of what season it was. Whereas now I’m genuinely excited for three months of reliably hot weather. You don’t even need to do anything, just sit outside in the shade, maybe with a drink, and feel the warmth all around you. It’s so lovely, and it’s already started.

  • Playing catch with a real baseball. I don’t know why but this is something I really want to do. Maybe from growing up seeing it in films. I know it will happen sometime soon! I just need to get a mitt.

  • Finishing several songs I’m writing, getting them recorded, and maybe even playing with a drummer. I’ve got so much music I’ve been working on. Sometimes I find a song or lyrics I have no recollection of creating, and turn it into something. I’m excited for some of it to get finished and recorded, which feels like will happen soon.And finally, I’m truly excited about possibly playing with a drummer who I met at a gig recently. He was really good, and if we started something together it would be cool. Here’s hoping.