Finding Peace Amongst Chaos

Overwhelm seems to be the norm for many these days. Work. Kids. Relationship ups & downs. The goings-on in our inner and outer world. Lack of true community and connection. It all adds up, doesn't it? Yet, many of us wear it as a badge of honor. Culturally, we are programmed to keep going. Keep striving. Keep improving. Beat the competition. Beat last year's numbers. Get the next greatest thing. Be the next greatest thing. But, where does it leave us? Burnt out. Stressed out. Just plain out of gas, at times. It's not sustainable. At least while preserving those most valuable parts of us.

So, what do we do? The answer that I have found is in the power of choosing to notice Nature. I'm talking about the verb. The action of noticing.

Notice. Verb. To become aware of.

While this requires action, it also requires a slowing down. A certain inaction. A rendering of our day to day auto-pilot, if you will.

We can choose to simply notice.

Notice how the sun paints the sky to greet you in the morning, and to say good night. Notice how Earth is falling asleep this time of year. Notice how your skin feels as the wind passes by. Notice how the sun's light energizes you. Notice the crispness of the air. Notice the natural beauty around you. These are all gifts to us.

When we ground into Nature - that which humans have lived alongside in harmony and evolved in partnership with for tens of thousands of years - something shifts. Over time, and with intention and consistency, our noticing evolves into something deeper. Something that opens you. Something that guides you. Something that connects you to that which is bigger than you, but which you are a well-loved part of....Something that helps you to find peace amongst the chaos.

Does this fix the world's problems? No. But it will be a start of something new within, and that my sweet friends, is where change in our outer world begins.

As we head into a season that has a tendency to create another layer of chaos, my hope is that we will tune into the power of noticing, and notice the shift within.

- Ranee