Inner Peace

I have found over the years that there are some things that you have to worry over and other things that you don't. I have maintained my sanity through cathartic writing, though honestly not everything I write is intended to be read by anyone. There are a few things in my somewhat chaotic and hectic life that bring me quiet joy and true inner peace. One of them is the rare sight of my children in complete slumber... once you get past the drool that is. Another is my new beehive in the twilight. One that has given me quiet joy for many years is my chickens, just watching them do what chickens do.

One of the biggest is one that I discovered when I was a mere slip of a girl, maybe 8 or 9. At a time of true tribulation in my childhood, I discovered a love so deep and so profound that I keenly felt it's loss for several years during which it was lost to me. Between the age of 10 and 18, 8 years I felt the loss. Even though I didn't truly appreciate the loss for a long time. It was my love of the mountains. Sound corny? Well it isn't for me, not when you grew up as I did, a tractless, homeless nomad at the mercy of my unable-to-keep-a-job father and a mother trying to do the best she could.

I must admit that while I haven't had a chance to appreciate the youthful Rocky mountains, I do have a preference for the aeons-older Appalachians. I have come to appreciate the different ranges within them. The Blue-Ridge mountains do actually have a blue tinge to them. The Smokies are very much smoke-grey and cloudy in appearance. I have even witnessed the "purple mountains majesty" in the northern areas.

I've seen "hairy" mountains in the winter, where the bare trees over the snowy ground give the illusion of hair. I've seen "mottled" mountains where clouds in the sky cast individual shadows over massive ranges. I've even seen "red" mountains where the setting of the sun was at just the right angle to light them ablaze.

Every time I take a moment to look upon the distant range, a gentle peace comes over me. It is this that I will never take for granted, whether I live here 10 years or 80 years.