Dropping Anchor

Welcome to Tuesday’s with Chel.

Each week Chel Micheline of Gingerblue will offer her perspectives on our Bliss Habits. Please enjoy the wisdom and clarity she offers.

Peace. It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart. ~Anonymous

Out of all the “Bliss Habits”, serenity is the one I feel most drawn to, the one I work towards, the one I *really* aspire to.

And there is one thing I have learned about serenity that I want to share with you, something that changed my perspective on what serenity is and how to achieve more of it in my life.

It is this:
Serenity is not a state of mind. It is not something we become. Serenity isn’t something we can find, or get lost in, or drape around ourselves like a cloak.

Serenity isn’t an action, either. It isn’t a place we arrive at after a series of actions. It isn’t found in a routine.

What *is* serenity, then? It’s the simple act of choosing to locate a still and sacred place deep inside yourself despite the chaos that might be flaring up all around you.

By making that tiny decision to try and shift yourself to a place of peace, you are moving towards serenity. And I say “try” because sometimes becoming calm and thoughtful in the midst of upheaval is extremely difficult, if not impossible. But just by making the choice to try and find some peace, you are practicing serenity.

Up until a few months ago, I thought serenity was a permanent state of mind, something I could work towards and then stay there. I figured if I could only find that magic path to serenity, I would sort of float around, always calm and present, consistently thoughtful and blissful, beaming with some sort of mysterious “serene” energy. Then I could spread it around to others.

But serenity is more like a heavy, bulking anchor.

Imagine a tiny, white sailboat floating in a blue sea. Winds may come and batter the boat and its sails. The water might get choppy and bounce the boat up and down. The boat may get knocked around by the wake from another boat.

Then imagine the tiny white boat steadying itself by dropping an anchor our into the water, and the anchor seeking deeper and deeper down until it lands on the ocean floor.

The anchor doesn’t make the storm go away, or keep the boat from drifting, or being battered by rough waves. The anchor is not going to fix everything.

But that anchor gives the sailor the opportunity to stop for a moment, re-asses the situation, and make the decision whether to stay put and ride out the storm or move to another point in the sea.

Serenity is that decision to drop anchor in your life. It’s an opportunity to regroup, recharge, and return to your core values. It’s a simple, gentle pause.

And the more you choose to “drop anchor” in your own life, the more natural it will become. And the more adept you will become at knowing when to ride out a storm, or when to set sail for something new.