‘Somewhere calm.’
I was on Facebook the other day, chatting with a good friend and arranging a day to catch up. We agreed on a date and then I flicked her the question: ‘Where should we meet?’
It was a while before I received her reply because I had to get off Facebook and attend to life in the real world. But when I finally clicked open her response there were just two words:
‘Somewhere calm’.
A variety of thoughts ran through my mind at this; was our last meeting place too busy? Is her life particularly stressful these days? Would beside the river do the trick? etc.
The more I thought about it – and I’ll admit to probably overthinking it because that’s something I’m rather gifted at doing! – the more I realised that ‘calm’ is probably something we need more than we admit to.
Calmness is something of a rarity. We’ve become so familiar with rushing about, squeezing this and that into our schedules. When hard times come we fret and worry, percolating ‘what if?‘s and anxiety. In the easy times, we cram more ‘blessings’ in. But calmness is a relative of Peace who is the Sister of Trust. And even when we don’t think we need it – when we think it must be our friend who needs it – we probably need somewhere calm more than ever!
So, tell me, where’s your ‘Somewhere calm’? And what’s it like for your heart to be there?
This is such a great thought, Penny!I recently went to a cafe where I was meeting a friend for lunch. It was noisy, crowded, and busy, and it made me feel anxious. When my friend arrived we both agreed this was NOT the place for us. We found a quieter place and had peacful conversation in a calm environment.
I’m all for calm! For me, somewhere calm usually involves water. A stream, a lake, the ocean. And I enjoy walking more now that we live out in the country.
I also think our children’s books need more calm to them. Kids are so bombarded with noise and action. They can hardly escape. No wonder they’re all hyper.
I could use more of this in my life. Like Pam Halter’s post above, I especially enjoy being around water. Just hearing the water splash as the pump and filter ran in my above ground pool (safely nested between two trees Hurricane Matthew blew over in my back yard) was calming when I closed my eyes.
The beach is my favorite place, but I also find sitting down in church on Sunday mornings very calming. It gives me a a chance to stop everything else and simply focus on worshiping Him.