Wednesday Wisdom – Joy and Peace

Anyone who has visited my consulting room will know that the wall behind my desk is graced with the most beautiful photograph of the late Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu.

And those who may have browsed the publications sitting on top of my filing cabinets will have noticed two coffee table books in which much about our beloved Arch is written.

A personal favourite quote, taken from one of the above-mentioned publications Wisdom (Andrew Zuckerman)[1] reads as follows:

“Too frequently we think we have to do spectacular things. Yet if we remember that the sea is actually made up of drops of water and each drop counts, each one of us can do our little bit where we are. Those little bits can come together and almost overwhelm the world. Each one of us can be an oasis of peace.”

What a wonderful illustration of the power that resides in each of us!

Imagine if we made the choice to focus on joy and peace every day, and in so doing, allow their droplets to accumulate into a waterfall of sustenance, revival and refreshment.

The only ‘work’ involved would be to mindfully engage in how we carry out the various activities that make up our daily lives.

Whether we drop a little peace by bringing a touch of calmness to the storm that others are fighting or splash joy across the face of another in the form of a simple smile – or whether we do something more ‘grand’ in finding the cure to illness (for example) – does not matter.  What matters, is the intended focus on ‘doing our bit’.

‘Doing our bit’ is not quite as easy as it might sound.  It may require setting personal pain aside; recognising the interference of ego; making compromises; digging deep to gather the energy for additional effort and or other elements of relative discomfort. It also requires being conscious of each of these challenges, and moving to be more than them, rather than slipping into the easier route of letting them slide when facing the demands of the day.

It is in being cognisant of our inherent natural positive power that we avoid the ever-seductive tendency towards a collapsing default that in the long run, adds little to creating joy and peace – least of all for ourselves.

In our garden we have a variety of beautiful roses, two of which are the Sylvie-Joy and Peace rose.  They are flourishing currently and give one’s heart a lift merely by looking at them.

There is the most touching story behind the Sylvie-Joy rose which was selected and officially named by Ludwig’s Roses when a dear friend and colleague wanted to do something special in honour of her precious mother who was, at the time, battling through her last few months in this realm.  It is truly remarkable how her motherly loving spirit lives on as this gentle rose flowers day after day, bringing constant joy.   Peace flourishes beside her, always in a sunny mood that celebrates the magnificence of nature.

These roses are one of my daily reminders of the importance of sharing bits of joy and peace wherever I can, in whatever form possible.  Although I fail on a regular basis, there is always another opportunity to try again.

In fact, the opportunities to do our little bit are endless.

And on that note, may your 2022 be a joyful and peaceful year!

ELISE

[1] https://andrewzuckerman.com/wisdom/