“To go in the dark
with a light
is to know the light.
To know the dark,
go dark.
Go without sight,
and find that the dark,
too, blooms and sings,
and is traveled by dark feet
and dark wings.”
Reawick beach, “dark beach 1” October 2023
Winter solstice… a turning point from darkness into the light. I’m always sad when this day arrives… I’m not ready to move on… “let me linger in the darkness, a place of refuge and rest. Please, don’t ask me to move forward into spring… Can’t we pause, replenish, recharge for a wee while more?
Reawick beach, “dark beach 2” October 2023
And so it is with our 21 day walk with peace… can’t we stay here just a little longer? What if we don’t feel ready quite yet to emerge and blossom into the spring time of peacebuilding.
This may be the end of our 21 day peace journey and yet, just like the solstice, this day is a turning point… the beginning of what’s to come.
Reawick beach, “dark beach 3” October 2023
It’s been said here before, “peace is a verb.” Peace is action… to be incorporated into our days with intention.
And/both… peace is a way of being, a noun. Some might call this zen… perhaps it’s thought of as ease… maybe it’s all of this and none of it all at the same time.
And perhaps peace just is…
because life is complicated and messy and mixed in with the “rollercoasters” of life…
and yet peace is all the wonders we have explored in the last 21 days…
Reawick beach, “daybreak” October 2023
Peace is embedded in the minutia of our lives… and as expansive as the cosmos.
Peace is the web of life… where all is interconnected…
and never, ever underestimate the power of one person… to be and do peace… and for that peace to ripple out… extending your reach beyond what might be fathomable.
Leaving Shetland. October 2023
hello to here
hello to the here of far, far, away
hello to changing our perspectives
Aberdeen, Scotland. October 2022
and don’t forget your compass as you continue on the path of peace…
“We go down
into the heart of earth
to learn to love
and be heart-free.”
Aberdeen, Scotland. October 2022
Peace nugget #21
At the beginning of Project Peace, I mapped out some topics for each day… I’d said yes to writing in December, picked out a theme yet no solid plan for what I’d write about each day had emerged. I’d committed but now what?
So, I just started… and hoped it would come together. Day 1… peace in action. Hmm, tomorrow, I’ll write about birds… and then I saw a pattern … “a,” “b,”… tomorrow will be a “c” word.
Eureka!
A path forward! I created a bank of words… somedays had plenty (hello “w”), others are still a bit of a mystery (hmm, to “x”), yet some letters had topics so big they’ll have to wait (yes, I’m looking at you “s”).
My original word for “z” was zine (prounounced zeen). And when a few people yesterday recognized the pattern and followed that up with “and I think I know your word for tomorrow,” I was compelled to change my word. There’s no way anyone was guessing “zine.” So, I went with zen…
I originally picked zine so that we could end with a little activity. So let’s make a paper zine as your own peace journal… instructions for folding a paper zine can be found here (watch the first 7 minutes) and here.
Possible items to include in your zine:
some quotes or phrases that captured your attention throughout the 21 days
pick a few of the daily words and write down what they mean to you
doodle the words
dedicate a page for your own “peace commitments;” day, week, month, season, year
include your wishes (“journey”), mantra (“k is for knitting), and what you’d like to manifest (“m”).
What will you carry forward with you as we turn into this new season (of peace)?
Other
Thank you from the bottom of my heart. This has been a hope-filled journey… and while I am tired, you all have provided so much to this experience.
Your engagement has built a community grounded in peace…
Your willingness to travel with me and explore abstract ways of identifying peace in our lives … for this I am grateful.
If you posted every day, send me an email (thehealthyknitter at gmail dot com) with the following information:
title the subject of the email with “Project Peace 2023 daily commenter”
in your email tell me your biggest take-away from participating AND your favorite day with an explanation
provide your full name and address (see explantion below)
If you read every day and did not post a comment, send me an email (thehealthyknitter at gmail dot com) with the following information:
title the subject of the email with “Project Peace 2023 daily reader”
in your email tell me your biggest take-away from participating AND your favorite day with an explanation
include your full name and address (see explanation below)
Send this email by December 27, 2023, 11:59 pm central time. For those who posted daily (and reside in the U.S.), I’ll randomly draw a name and send a yarn related surprise. For all others, I’ll be sending you a note and tiny peace=related item in the mail (hence the need for your address). I won’t be doing anything with your addresses other then sending you a letter…
I’ll post again on December 28, the full moon, with the name of the recipient.
And so my peace friends and fellow peace walkers… I leave you here to carry forward new and different ways of seeing, being, and living peace in our world. Happy solstice, holidays, and full moon.