Monday, March 15, 2010

My Calm Place

I'm floating on my back, my ears below the surface of the water. Sounds of my brothers and friends playing in the water is muted. Boats, even far away on the lake, are telegraphed to me in a whiny, high pitched sound and vibration. Eyes wide and level with the surface, the sky looks huge. A dark green pine branch reaches out over the water and the sun shines on the needles. The water holds me up with no effort. My arms and legs float on watery sparkles around me. My breathing is the loudest noise and it slows until I can't hear even that. Smells of the lake water are intensified in the heat. All is peace, water, sunlight in shades of green and blue. This my calm place.
It's where I go when I need to calm down. One day last week I was wondering if other people did this kind of thing. If others have a specific place they imagine being when they want to calm down. Wouldn't you know it? Without me even mentioning it, a friend a day or so later was telling me her counselor had recently taught her to do this very thing. Her calm place is a walk in the woods and this imagery had helped her cope with a difficult and stressful time.
Her walk in the woods reminds her of a place in her childhood. My lake experience is from my childhood, also.
So, do you have a place you go in your mind to calm down? Share it. And if you don't - find one and practice going there. Then when you need it, it's available. Plus, it's just interesting to see what it is you crave. For me it's sun and water, green and blue.

2 comments:

Marti Pieper said...

I haven't tried a mental "calm place," but my physical one is prayerwalking nearly every day. I find that if I don't take time for this physical and spiritual outlet, I'm not as centered on the things of God as I need to be. And yes, I do pray throughout the day--and stop to pray--but matching it with the walk, well, that's a special time for me.

My FAVORITE place to prayerwalk is on the beach. Maybe I'll try heading there the next time I need a calm place.

Thanks for this post.

Kay Dew Shostak said...

Hey Marti - I think the beach is VERY promising for a mental calm place.
Love the idea of a prayer walk!