I was just looking at the WordPress Dashboard today and saw this question – What brings you peace? Normally I would just blow this off and bypass the question, but this one hit home for me today?

Why? Well given the turmoil that has hit my country (the US) since our election last fall, I am not feeling much peace. Our nation is rapidly losing its identity and soul. I had no idea that so many Americans were so racist and valued our democracy so little. In all honesty I am quite angry with the majority of our American voters – who seem to completely ill informed and unaware of how democracy works and how fragile it really is.

So, where do I find peace these days? The short answer is nature. Going out exploring; finding the beauty in our planet, and the peace in our animal friends. Nature is good for my soul; well, it’s good for most of our souls. I absolutely love listening to the ocean surf. It is so soothing. The one time we went on an ocean cruise, we slept with the balcony door open every night (we had a balcony room) . I love exploring an area that is remote with no people, no phones – just me and whatever is out there. Looking at the rocks, the formations, the plants, the birds, everything – it is so soothing. I love seeing and feeling the connection to the earth, to our animal cousins. We are not as different as we think.

And I love this blog. It’s funny; when I was younger in school we would have these journal writing assignments sometimes in English classes. I thought they were stupid – a complete waste of time. But then several years ago I started this blog, and I love it. Being able to share my images and thoughts with so many like minded people from all over the world really does bring me peace.

It’s similar to the connection I have with nature; My friends in the UK, in Australia, in Canada, In Mexico, Italy, India – we are not so different at all. We share the same needs, the same feelings, the same problems. We share our planet. And knowing that really helps me to be more calm, to feel more at peace with the world.

So, these are the things that give me peace – nature and this blog that helps keep me connected to my like minded friends from all over this little planet. Yes, thank you WordPress for this assignment idea. And thank you all for helping me to realize that we are all really one.