Finding Tranquility
- Jonathan David Cain
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
Tranquility is that beautifully unbothered, serene space. Elusive to most of us but desperately craved. Trying to find it amidst all of the buffeting of the present times is hard. Between political children in Washington trying to score points on each other in a never-ending game of character assasination tag, ‘War’ (never formally declared by the United States Congress) costing you and I $80B with a possible $300B in reconstruction costs, grocery prices climbing every week, health insurance premiums rising, gas pump shock, the uncertainty of the future….the list could go on for pages.
I know I am not alone, and unless you have successfully found a way to bury your head in the sand, you’re bound to see it reflected all around you. Tranquility requires a stillness that I have a hard time finding. If I’m honest, I haven’t felt it in a long time. Fleeting glimpses at best, most of the time. So, how do we (I) attempt to find tranquility these days? I’d say focus small. When a sheet is whipping in the wind, pinning down a single corner feels like a win.
Find little joys, little victories, little blessings you can offer to someone else. Is that waking up in silence to watch the sky travel through lavender... orange... yellow...white... then the break of sunlight across the ground and sending dappled light through tree limbs? Is it accomplishing a task? Finishing a book and taking a second to sit in the enjoyment of it? Maybe just opening a door for someone or offering a smile to a stranger. These little things may be the bright spot in an otherwise unremarkable or extraordinarily challenging day.
Find your sacred spaces - church, synagogue, mosque, temple, stream, field, nature, sitting in meditation, practicing yoga, a cup of coffee in a rocking chair – whatever. Find that space where you feel stillness inside. That is the space where you and the divine can convene and sit in tranquility. It’s a recharging station.
Find your texts, songs, chants, and meditations that bring you out of the chaos and into calmness or joy. Make no excuses for what brings you peace. If singing Barnie’s “I love you, you love me” at the top of your lungs in the shower does it for you – go for it.
Identify the barriers to your tranquility! If someone or something disturbs your peace, give them a sandwich and a pat on the head as you open the door with a smile. If you find your surroundings in disorder, stop and figure out why. What does that represent? (I’m preaching to myself here). If you are overcommitted and feel stretched too thin, know that rest is sacred. Nobody can give from an empty cup.
Breathe! Ever noticed how often you hold your breath? I find myself sitting holding my breath and tensing up my back when I’m stressed. Just stop and do a body scan every now and then. There are techniques out there to help you identify your physical stress by having you tense and clench your body to recognize tension, then release it to recognize relaxation. Trust me, you’ll be surprised once you become aware of it. When you are stressed, stop, close your eyes, and take several long, slow breaths. An easy trick to learn is this – breathe in through your nose slowly and deeply. Hold it for a count of 3, then exhale slowly through pursed lips, trying to breathe out twice as long as it took to inhale (you can count or just relax and estimate). It will reset your autonomic system and cause you to relax some.
When something seems like a big deal, stop and consider if it will still be a big deal in 5 weeks, 5 months, 5 years. We tend to overestimate the importance of things because they are right in our faces, screaming for attention.
Take care of yourselves, Babies.
Love & peace.
Jonathan David Cain is a native of Florence, Alabama, and has been the current Curator for the Tennessee Valley Museum of Art located in Tuscumbia, AL, since January 2020. He functioned in that role previously for several years before leaving to pursue a career in education. He holds an undergraduate degree in graphic design from the University of North Alabama and graduate degrees from both the University of Mississippi (MFA – Sculpture) and the University of North Alabama (MA – Clinical Mental Health). He is an eclectic artist who likes to pursue many different media.
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