Leaving peace

Peace work happens. All the time. Every where. Every when.

I am a crossword puzzle fiend. Ever since the New York Times found/created Across Lite, I’ve done the puzzle online every day. I look at it as a way to wake my brain daily.

The New York Times puzzles increase in difficulty from the beginning of the month to the end of the month. That’s when Google is my best friend. I don’t consider looking up answers cheating; I consider looking up answers learning. They also increase in difficulty from Monday through Saturday. Sunday puzzles land on about a Thursday level of difficulty.

On Sunday, September 6, 2009, I sat at my computer doing the puzzle till I got to the clue for 36 A (across) which was: Word of leave-taking. The spaces were five in number and I had no downs to clue me in.

The answer came to me in a trice: PEACE.

Isn’t that a wonderful idea? That every time I leave a place … the grocery store, an IRS audit, the loo, the kitchen, a class, work … every single time, I leave it in peace, I bless it with peace. Isn’t it amazing that I could make every leave-taking a gift of peace to myself and others?

As you know, I look for ways to practice and give peace every place I can in my life. I’ve adopted a new one today … every time I cross a threshold, I will offer the room I’m entering and the room I’m exiting a blessing of peace.

This means that everyone remaining will receive a blessing of peace, or, if I am alone, the space itself will receive a blessing of peace. It also means that because I am using peace as a blessing, it will return to me a hundredfold.

Beware: I do plenty of leave-taking and that means I’m going to be leaving peace behind wherever I’ve been and wherever I go. How about you?

I’m off! Peace!