I read a Thomas Merton quote this morning that I love:
“You find peace not by rearranging the circumstances of your life, but by realizing who you are at the deepest level.”
So it’s not when the lawn mower is fixed, or when that bill is paid, or when he finally calls, or when she says she’s sorry. You won’t get to peace when you get that promotion, or win the lottery, or move to the new house, or get an “all clear” from the doctor.
Peace is here, right now, riding on the doorway of your breath. As you watch your breath come all the way in, expanding your lungs and maybe your belly a little, bringing life-giving oxygen into your bloodstream, calming your blood pressure and releasing healthy endorphins in your brain, you are the living embodiment of peace. As you get a glimpse of the miraculous systems that are keeping you running right now–nerves, muscles, organs, the three trillion bacteria that live on, around, and within you–you can sense how much support you are given to take that next breath, and the next, and the next.
Who we are is miracle. Who we are is mystery. Who we are is–at the deepest level–peace.
The Mindful Minute 