<\/p>\n
About fifteen or twenty years ago, my friend, Will, gave me a recipe for a peaceful life.\u00a0 <\/span>He is only a year older than me, but he\u2019s a wise one.\u00a0 <\/span>He said, \u201cSpend an hour each morning watching the sunrise.\u00a0 <\/span>And spend an hour each evening watching the sunset.\u201d<\/p>\n I confess I do not do this every day.\u00a0 <\/span>Or even most days.\u00a0 <\/span>And it\u2019s usually closer to half an hour.\u00a0 <\/span>But when I do, I often think of Will and how wise he was.\u00a0 <\/span>And yes, he does exude peace.\u00a0 <\/span>And yes I do feel more peaceful when I do it.\u00a0 <\/span>Every time.<\/p>\n This morning is Saturday and I awoke with a sense of leisure.\u00a0 <\/span>Had I been able to fall back asleep, I probably would have done so, but my body was ready to be awake and so I arose.\u00a0 <\/span>I was very mellow.\u00a0 <\/span>I gazed out my window.\u00a0 <\/span>It was daylight but the sun had not yet appeared over the mountain.\u00a0 <\/span>I got dressed, I made my bed, I looked through some old photos.\u00a0 <\/span>And then my eyes caught sight of the sun\u2019s rays.\u00a0 <\/span>The sun had made its glorious appearance and it called me outside.<\/p>\n I walked out my door and through the soft sand, picking my way around the prickly pear cacti and crunching on the pinon pine cones.\u00a0 <\/span>I kept going east, toward the magnificent sun and the majestic mountain over which it had risen.\u00a0 <\/span>I found a little mound that afforded me a good view and I stopped on that mound to say some prayers.<\/p>\n I turned in each direction, feeling the energy and beauty of that direction.\u00a0 <\/span>I gazed first at the mountains, then at the valley, then at the trees.\u00a0 <\/span>I gazed at the sky.\u00a0 <\/span>I gazed at the undulations of the earth.\u00a0 <\/span>I noticed the various birdsongs all around me.\u00a0 <\/span>I noticed the cloudless sky.\u00a0 <\/span>I felt the temperature \u2013 warm where the sun was shining, but not yet hot.<\/p>\n Yes.\u00a0 <\/span>Will is right.\u00a0 <\/span>This is indeed a peaceful way to start the day.<\/p>\n Almost inevitably, it also brings me to a place of bliss.\u00a0 <\/span>Did you know that listening to birdsong, wind, or stream can actually lift you into a higher dimension?\u00a0 <\/span>Or send you into a mild trance?\u00a0 <\/span>It is certainly a beautiful way to connect to the joyful energies of the planet.<\/p>\n Then after a full day of work and play, how beautiful it is to sit in a chair and watch as the sun sets.\u00a0 <\/span>How glorious to gaze as colors spread across the sky.\u00a0 <\/span>How peaceful to watch as the sky slowly shifts into its indigo eveningwear.\u00a0 <\/span>How magical to watch as one star after another shows its shiny face.<\/p>\n My goodness.\u00a0 <\/span>Even writing about this I feel peaceful.<\/p>\n If you want to bring more peace into your life, try aligning yourself with the gift of the sun\u2019s rhythms and cycles.\u00a0 <\/span>I suspect even fifteen minutes outside in the morning and the evening will make a profound difference.\u00a0 <\/span>Try it and see.\u00a0 <\/span>Let me know how you feel after a week of this practice.<\/p>\n I am grateful for this brilliant orb that so graciously sheds its light and warmth upon this Earth.\u00a0 <\/span>I am grateful for the gentle blanket of the sky and the symphony of birds, breeze, and waters.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>What a beautiful planet we live upon.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" About fifteen or twenty years ago, my friend, Will, gave me a recipe for a peaceful life.\u00a0 He is only a year older than me, but he\u2019s a wise one.\u00a0 He said, \u201cSpend an hour each morning watching the sunrise.\u00a0 And spend an hour each evening watching the sunset.\u201d I confess I do not do…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":553,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[57,88,3,133,2,58,123,30,41,134,116,135],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-152","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-beauty","category-birdsong","category-blessings","category-earth","category-gratitude","category-morning","category-mountains","category-nature","category-prayer","category-sun","category-sunrise","category-sunset"],"yoast_head":"\n