My Anywhere But Here Blog

A Gentle Day Reflection

Some days are meant for recovery of the heart.

Have you ever had a day where you truly felt like nobody gave your heart a rest?

Have you ever felt like you were never going to measure up to other people’s expectations, so you push yourself to the point of breaking your own heart? Sometimes we convince ourselves we will never matter, and slowly we begin to shut our hearts off.

Today I am giving my heart a rest. Because if I don’t, I am almost certain I will break it — and some things, once broken too deeply, take a very long time to repair. Stress has a way of quietly destroying our sense of self-worth if we allow it to take hold for too long.

But what about your own stress?

• Some days are not meant for solving life’s bigger questions.

• Some days are simply meant for quiet recovery — a slower morning, a cup of coffee that lasts a little longer.

• Some days it is the simple decision to be gentle with ourselves in order to allow healing to begin.

Today I am choosing something simple.

“Today I’m not carrying the heavy thoughts. Today I’m just breathing.”

I am trying for even an ounce of peace because, truthfully, I do not feel well at all today. I am in a great deal of physical pain and trying to help every fiber in me calm down and find a sense of quiet.

Yesterday — not just the evening, but the morning and afternoon as well — felt filled with agitation and discomfort from everything happening around me, both physically and emotionally.

Yesterday I wrote about comfort food because my body, mind, and soul were craving reassurance that I would make it through the day. I went to bed last night feeling like my peace had been stolen by so many different people, places, and things that disrupted it.

I do not say that I was without fault in allowing some of it to take hold of me. Perhaps I should have stepped away from the environment sooner. But I didn’t.

Instead, I let it boil over like a pot left too long on the stove — like a pot of clam chowder simmering for comfort that suddenly bubbled too high because I wasn’t watching it carefully enough.

I admit, I wasn’t keeping an eye on it.

I forgot that one of the most important goals in my life is protecting the peace of my heart and soul.

Today my heart, mind, and body are taking longer to recover, and I find myself quietly asking:

How do we protect our peace so it stays with us longer?

Peace by Mother Teresa

“Peace will come in the world through Mary. But first in our heart.”

Many thoughtful voices throughout history have spoken about the importance of peace in our lives. Former President Jimmy Carter, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his lifelong efforts toward peace and human dignity, once reflected that true peace is not simply the absence of conflict but the presence of justice, compassion, and respect for others.

His words remind me that peace is something we must actively protect in our own hearts as well. It is not something that simply appears — it is something we nurture, guard, and return to again and again when life tries to pull us away from it.

Peace can come in many forms, especially in the My Anywhere But Here realm.

• sunlight through the window

• quiet music

• a warm cup of soothing tea

• a peaceful moment in meditation or nature

• or, for me, prayer — asking the Prince of Peace to hold me and remind me that peace is not fully lost forever.

At least not lost in my My Anywhere But Here space.

I build it here.

And sometimes I simply need to return and refresh it.

And on days when the world feels a little too heavy, I quietly return there to remember that peace can still be found.

My Anywhere But Here

Susan Thomas