September 30, 2026- May you be peaceful

All my life I’ve been stumbling through moments, desperate to reach the next, without ever really finishing the moment I was currently in.

~Courtney Peppernell

I have a daily well-wishing meditation practice. I think of a series of people in my life, and one by one, I wish them the following four things:

May you be safe.

May you be happy.

May you be healthy.

May you be peaceful.

I always start that meditation with myself. If I can’t truly wish those basic things for me, I have some work to do before I start trying to send goodness out into the universe. After I wish myself well, I let my stream of consciousness take over, and I start thinking of others.

There is generally a logical progression of the people who pop into my head. If I think of one of my children, the other three are sure to follow. If I think of a coworker, I’ll think of several. If I think of someone who has been challenging, I’ll work through a whole list of people who may be far less challenging if they felt safe, happy, healthy, and peaceful.

Peaceful is the one that gets cheated. When I get to peaceful, my brain is already starting to let that person go and move to the next person on my mental list. In doing so, I have to wonder how much peacefulness I’m also costing myself.

Peace is not found by sending ourselves to a different time in place than we are. Peace is attained by finding calm, clarity, and connection right here, right now.

May you be peaceful.