White walls, brown doors. The gentle hum of the AC in the background. The interplay of light and shadows through the terrace window tells me its about 4 in the afternoon. There’s an open fantasy book I just put down on the sofa as I start trailing my thoughts…
It’s Saturday morning, and I feel at peace.
This is the kind of peace that most people would use a different word for – happiness. At least I see it like this. I am content and my heart is full.
Happiness is not a wild Saturday night out with friends. Happiness is not being high on MDMA while you’re kissing your favorite person in the world. Happiness is not selling your company for a 7 or even an 8 figure sum. Happiness is not an orgasm, or a great meal.
All those are ecstasy. They are passion, they are fire. They are a potent mix of chemicals like dopamine and serotonin in your brain that make you feel INCREDIBLY good. But the problem with those is that you always need more. Another problem is the inevitable low that follows the high.
Think about it, how do you feel after that amazing night out? How about the day after? The only constant is change. And what naturally follows any high is a low.
Peace (or calmness) on the other hand, is a different animal. Think for example laying at the beach looking at the ocean while the sun caresses you. Think walking in a forest and and inhaling the earthy scent and hearing the birds squeaking. Think about when you are hanging out with your lover in your the bed, close together yet not doing anything. You just are. That is peace.
Of course similarly to the high, the peace will change too. You will eventually snap out of it and become distracted again. Worried, anxious, passionate, ambitious… But unlike the highs, there is no ‘next level’ with peace. You don’t need MORE of the same just to get to the baseline. It’s not about the intensity, it’s simply about its presence.
And that is enough. Wishing you lots of peace in the days ahead – holidays are a difficult period, contrary to the popular belief.
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