How do you find peace?
Charcoal and pan pastel on mixed media paper
30 X 48
September 2023
While visiting the Plymouth Plantation, my grandchildren and I came upon a stone circle on the way to the Indigenous Village.  While I was reading the informational sign, I looked up and saw that Olivia and Jac were sitting on the stones in a meditative posture.  This was totally spontaneous and unprompted.   Being a practitioner and teacher of Primordial Sound Meditation, I had tried to teach them meditation as young children.  So, I was thrilled that they remembered and that they honored this sacred spot by being respectful and quiet!  Meditation is begun by asking oneself the three questions listed over Jac's shoulder:  Who am I?  What do I want?  How can I serve?  Meditation is ended by reciting the Sanskrit word for peace over Olivia's shoulder:  Shanti, Shanti, Shanti, Peace, Peace, Peace. 

To me, Buddha represents a sense of peace and compassion.  I define peace as balance and harmony of my healthy body, creative mind, loving heart, and peaceful soul.  Peace is also about being in the moment knowing that there is no place I'd rather be than right here, right now.  I find peace while walking in nature, drawing or painting with music playing, cooking nutritious foods, reading a book, visiting my favorite artists in museums, and of course, having fun with my kids and grandkids.  What all of these activities have in common is that I am in the present moment and the voices generated by my ego have been silenced.

I'd love to hear from you... How do you find peace?

The Buddha Project
The Buddha Project was a multiple year effort of taking photographs of the Buddha in nature.  I carried the Buddha with me to locations near and far, from Safety Harbor, FL, to a waterfall in upstate New York, to the Pacific Ocean near the Monterey Peninsula in California, and even to Costa Rica.  I shot hundreds of photos while climbing on rocks, trekking through mud, and crawling through high grass.  It was interesting that the many people I encountered while carrying the Buddha around always kept their distance and never questioned what I was doing.  It was always a good day when I had Buddha with me, except the day in Costa Rica when he fell off a high embankment that I had carelessly placed him on.  Luckily, I was able to obtain some glue to reattach his head!  Although the man who gave it to me is probably still traumatized by the sight of me carrying the Buddha head with a frenzied look on my face.  This is a small sampling for some of my favorite Buddha photos:

To read my articles on stress management and peace, click here.