I was going through some of the newsletter articles we’ve collected on our website when I came across this poem, which is worth sharing again:
“Peace is This Moment Without Judgment,” by Dorothy Hunt.
Do you think peace requires an end to war?
Or tigers eating only vegetables?
Does peace require an absence from
your boss, your spouse, yourself? …
Do you think peace will come some other place than here?
Some other time than Now?
In some other heart than yours?
Peace is this moment without judgment.
That is all. This moment in the Heart-space
where everything that is is welcome.
Peace is this moment without thinking
that it should be some other way,
that you should feel some other thing,
that your life should unfold according to your plans.
Peace is this moment without judgment,
this moment in the heart-space where
everything that is is welcome.
Peace is this moment without judgment. So, without expectations and blame. Without shoulds, have-to’s, and musts. And without trying to be something I am not.
In this poem, the poet tells us that the heart space is the place where everything is welcome. This can be challenging because not everything that arrives here is happy and wonderful.
How do I welcome sadness, frustration, and disappointment? I can—when I take time to remove all the stories, blame, and strategy-making from my thinking so that all that’s left is to care for me. With a kind heart, I try to stand back to see and feel the feelings flow through me. Please be advised: This can take a certain amount of tenacity.
Also, I can't explain it, but I do know that sometimes we fall into a place of judgment without even knowing it. Like a couple of weeks ago when my daughter came to visit. She hadn't been here for a long time, and I was so wanting all of us to have some great conversations, fun, and play. It didn't go that way.
On the one hand that was quite understandable. Essie was very tired and needed a lot of sleep. Even so, and for some unexplained reason, I kept comparing how we were together as a family to an image of how families are supposed to be. Do you see how that story got me caught up in a bunch of shoulds? Stressful!
After a while though, I saw it: a story, full of expectations, had sneaked into my head. That’s when I started subtracting the judgments and expectations. Once I let them go, I felt relieved. I could see the situation for what it truly was and view it with kind and peaceful attention.
I hear this poem as a beautiful reminder of the peace I want for myself and others, and a straightforward way to find it. Maybe you will too.” 😊
