Finding peace in the midst of turmoil

Whenever it is an effort for me to find peace in the chaos (in this case, the chaos of current political events), I turn to nature, poetry, art, and the wisdom of writers. Today I heard a radio interview with Janet Echelman, an artist who describes her sculpture as " idiosyncratic, delicate and ephemeral," and I rushed home to look her up. Her descriptions sounded wonderful -- huge, lacy, netted sculptures showing the flowing undulations of wind. "An invitation to look up and notice the patterns around us," she said. How it came about is a gloriously synchronous story. You can hear the whole thing here if you have 10 minutes. I encourage you to find the time. It's really an inspiring and wonderful tale.

In the meanwhile, many brilliant thinkers and writers have given this topic consideration. I let their words speak for themselves and hope they bring you a sense of peace, mindfulness and loving-kindness as they do for me.

• You have no idea how hard I've looked for a gift to bring You. Nothing seemed right. What's the point of bringing gold to the gold mine, or water to the ocean. Everything I came up with was like taking spices to the Orient. It's no good giving my heart and my soul because you already have these. So I've brought you a mirror. Look at yourself and remember me. ~ Rumi

• Be soft. Do not let the world make you hard. Do not let pain make you hate. Do not let the bitterness steal your sweetness. Take pride that even though the rest of the world may disagree, you still believe it to be a beautiful place. ~ Iain S. Thomas

• Questioner: How are we to treat others? Sri Ramana Maharshi: There are no others.

• Take my hand. We will walk. We will only walk. We will enjoy our walk without thinking of arriving anywhere. ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

My wish for you, and for me, is to find loving-kindness in your heart, in your actions and in your life without having to arrive anywhere.