Stillness: A door for peace

The Ottauquechee River in Taftsville, Vermont. (Gareth Henderson Photo)

In the open air of nature, there’s a particular freedom all around. I look up at the trees, with recently fallen snow still resting on their branches. A sense of calm pervades life in that moment. All is still, as each step unfolds new views of the surroundings, new footsteps on the way — onward. A gentle breeze glances by, accentuating the stillness, a true gift in the world. 

I recall many such moments from the evening walks my wife and I enjoy. And the gift of stillness is one we always notice. After a long day, it provides a time to settle the thought, gain some perspective, and simply give thanks. These are simple moments of realization — something that is so vital in this rapidly moving world, where moments and opportunities seem to race by. These can sometimes make us feel these calmer moments are far out of reach. But truly, we can gain stillness through just a few moments of quiet, where we welcome productive, calming moments of peace, a quality we each innately have. 

To see peace in action doesn’t take time, it only takes that genuine, open door of thought, where we allow quiet, calming moments to take root, and settle us. In that space, a light grows, and we’re so open to the goodness in our communities and in the world — and so able to see it grow. That provides a meaningful sense of freedom. And then, the fresh, nurturing sense of peace gained outdoors can be experienced within us, any time. It’s not a time, not a place. It’s a reassuring stillness that’s always within reach. 

— Gareth Henderson