Why do we have to search for peace?

Greetings,

Well, here I am in merry ol' England. My flight was pretty uneventful, sans all the babies crying. I had a bit of a lay over in Finland, my friend couldn't meet me because she was out of town (Tunisa to be exact) on a photo shoot. Made the best out of the layover by reading and relaxing. I began to think of this journey I am on. Why do we have to search for peace? Shouldn't it just be there, right in front of us? We never have to search for pain or suffering, they are always visible. So, I put aside those thoughts for the moment and just existed.

Upon arriving in London I had found something very interesting. This was not the London I knew. The crowds have thickened and the people have lost their English charm. I was greeted with shoves and curses, people in such a hurry that a woman and her stroller was knocked to the ground, and instead of the person apologizing they yelled at her for being too slow....Being to slow? Hm.

Realizing all the pain that surrounded me, my heart began to fill with sadness. The thought of finding these signs of peace would really be a challenge here. I was, sadly, right.

Today is Friday the 2nd of July, and so far the only peace I have found have been with the animals. Birds have come and sat on my sill and sang, squirrels run up and sit by me to eat their lunch, and the ducks, oh the ducks, they preen themselves and play in the water as I sit and watch them. Maybe I was looking for peace in the wrong place. Perhaps it doesn't lie within us, but in what surrounds us. Yesterday as I sat on a lovely stone in Dover, a seagull came and stood near me. He came very close and when I said hello, he crooned. I felt true happiness, but it wasn't to last....But for a moment a later a gentleman came up to sit near me and he waved his arms about violently trying to shoo away the seagull (btw I believe that seagull was the one and only Jonathan!) But the seagull held fast, and craned his head at the crazed man. The man picked up a stone to throw, and I stopped him. I said "This seagull is not bothering you, and he was here before you came along." The man just laughed and said "I see why you are alone." I just shook my head and said "I am not alone. For the seagulls, crows and hawks keep me company." He didn't understand what I was saying, but as if on command, a hawk landed several feet away. I smiled and said "see" The man just smiled and and shrugged his shoulders...That was when it was confirmed, I really was hoping to find people to be the source of the happiness I feel inside, I expected everyone to be as happy as I am just to have another breath, but that is wrong. The signs of peace are everywhere, and you don't have to search, you just have to be breathing in the moment to see them...

Next blog locale, Prague.

Namaste...