Finding Calm in a Busy World

Published in The Live. Love. Laugh. Pub on Medium

I sit, quietly, in my bed, laptop resting before me, a candle flame flickering in my periphery. The wooden wick crackles reminding me of those marshmallow-roasting nights around a campfire on a family vacation out East. I type another line of words and glance at my sleeping cat in her bed by the window. I make sure to take a second or two to appreciate this moment.

Photo by Alesia Talkachova

This moment and others like it are why it’s important to romanticize your life, even occasionally. In a world that begs productivity, speed, and efficiency taking time to notice the calm, the gentle, the content both rebels against the status quo and proves to us a slow, meaningful life is possible.

Seeking these moments of calm in a busy world is not only wishful thinking but a necessity.

We must allow ourselves to rest, to replenish our energy, to re-balance our minds and our bodies. When we remind ourselves of the present moment the worries of the past and the anxious thoughts of the future blow away in the wind. Our minds, and in turn our goals, become clearer because there is no more clutter crowding up the space.

There is safety in routine. Stability in the repetitive. Love in the familiar. There is wonder in the every day and this awe can ground us, it can remind us of what really matters to us, as human beings. Because it is not money, or fame, or power that we crave, it is connection. Community. Intimacy. It’s not letting life carry on forward without stopping to appreciate it, appreciate how far we’ve come, even if there is more to go.

Joy must be sought out. We must seek — no, carve out — the moments in time when time slows down or even stops. We must look up and raise our heads and our hearts to the beauty and kindness that still exists (despite what the news channels might tell us).

There is goodness in this world, calm amongst the busyness, content amongst the overwhelming flow of content.

So, I stop and smell the roses. I take a breath and express gratitude because life isn’t perfect, but some moments are. It’s up to us to notice them. Sometimes, it’s up to us to create them.

I see the clouds covering the sun, but know rain is unlikely. I see the wind blow through the trees. I inhale that calm scent of vanilla and cashmere from my candle and let my words drift across the page. There is calm in this busy world, and it is worth finding it.