Sanctuary Brings Resilience

We sleep but do not rest.

We go on vacation and come back exhausted.

We acquire more but cannot find satisfaction. 

What is eating away at us, eating at our core and keeping us from feeling happy and contented?

It’s easy to assign the blame for any unhappiness and stress we might be feeling on forces and situations outside us. Maybe our work is too demanding. Maybe the current politics are unsettling. Maybe we are sick to our stomach over a family drama or the latest mass shooting. Maybe we are filled with anxiety over the planetary climate crisis, or the lack of inclusion or a thousand other bone-wearying issues that plague us at every turn.

It’s a very human thing to do, to find something outside ourselves and affix the blame on that for the weariness that follows us through our days. I find myself placing blame all the time. When we do that, we put the cause for our perm-anxiety in a box, so to speak — a box that contains it and makes the whole thing seemingly easier to address. Fix what’s in the box, our thinking goes, and the problem is solved.

But what if it’s not that simple?

I know that blaming my unrest on outside issues doesn’t make me feel any better. In fact, putting more focus on what isn’t working seems to only make it worse. Not only that, I can’t really even control these situations that I’m identifying as the problem.

But what can I control? Where can I put my focus so that it can make a difference?

I can focus on what is around me, and I can look within. That’s what sanctuary is — creating peace around us in order to inspire peace within.

Yes BUT, I hear you asking, how does that change what is wrong with the world? How can that fix my life? 

It can’t — not directly. But in creating a refuge for ourselves, and in seeking solace in that place of sanctuary, we build something much more powerful: resilience. 

I’ve come to realize that we are not taking care of ourselves in ways that foster resilience. I see it in myself and in many people around me. What I’ve been trying to make so complicated is actually quite simple. We need resilience to deal with the world in which we are living. It is the key. The lack of resilience is why we are so tired and overwhelmed. We are not tending to our own souls. 

Sanctuary is the secret. It’s the magical tool, and it’s available to anyone who wants to have it. Creating peace around us inspires peace inside us. We start there. The art, the science and the practice of creating sanctuary is infusing the environments around us with peace and harmony. In this way, we create the support system for our journey, nurturing resilience, strength and calm. 

Piloting our lives from the seat of our sanctuary, we can better dodge and withstand the blows of life. With our sanctuary to sustain us, we can work effectively and serenely toward a better future for our families, for our planet, and for ourselves. With the refuge of sanctuary kindled deep inside us, we can take every step with quiet joy, knowing that the journey of our life is both sacred and safe.

We need the support that a nurturing, environment of sanctuary provides to kindle the resilience this life is calling for. We can choose that for ourselves. 

That’s the path that I am on. That’s the path of sanctuary. 

Will you join me? 

With love and gratitude,

Lisa