The Peace Walk (Part 3)

Part 3/3: The Peace Walk ⁣ ⁣

As I walked, I thought about how when your mind and body are full of turmoil, you can't see light in your life. Your body breaks down. You fall into insidious mind traps of dark thoughts and self-sabotaging beliefs. ⁣ ⁣

And when you are unable to rest, that turmoil worsens until inner peace feels unattainable. It becomes a vicious and depressing cycle, one that I have been hurled around more times than I can count. But I didn't want this to be my story on this day. So instead of turning to my normal distractions, I looked to my arsenal of tools that my incredible meditation and mindfulness instructor from Gilas Mindfulness Institute has been helping me grow over the last nine months. ⁣ ⁣

"Take a walk". It was a walking meditation that quietly called out to me from somewhere deep within. "Open your Insight Timer". Again, a whisper from within. ⁣ ⁣

I began scrolling, silently asking the universe that I be led to what I needed. I stopped on one I'd never seen before. "Guided Meditation for Cleansing Unwanted Feelings & Negative Thinking" by Kenneth Soares. ⁣ ⁣

And that's when I was taken on a magical journey because I experienced that surreal, awe-filled feeling when puzzle pieces in your life suddenly emerge from the chaos and miraculously click together. As he spoke, I couldn't have imagined words that would've resonated with me more in that moment or aligned better with my intention to walk. ⁣ ⁣

He took me on a trek that began with "Imagine you are walking along a beautiful country lane", required me to pick up a heavy backpack full of my darkest emotions, and travel forward in pursuit of peace. I immersed my mind in the visualizations, following the pathways of which he spoke in my mind's eye as my feet slowly carried me down the sidewalk in the real world. ⁣ ⁣

By the time I reached home, I was transformed. I sat outside in the cold, January morning air, and felt tears in my eyes. As the meditation came to close, I inhaled deeply, turned my face to the winter sky, and breathed out the words,

"I love being alive. Thank you for letting me be here."