A library. A car. A place of worship. A garden. A vacation spot. A cemetery. A baseball field. A recital hall. A golf course.
I find internal peace reading quietly in my office, walking alone in rural Normandy, touring the battlefields of southern Pennsylvania, camping in Big Bend, visiting with loved ones on Cape Cod, and backpacking the southern Appalachian Trail. These are places where I find refuge, where I do my best thinking, and where I feel safe.
Being there makes me a better person.
It seems these days that we have to work harder and harder to find time for our sacred spaces. We complain of being busier, about all the demands on our time, about being tied to our smartphones and about the stresses of the modern world. We worry about our weight, if we are wearing the latest fashions, and if we belong to the right club. We obsess about our cars and about where our kids will go to college.
But that's no excuse.
We need to reorient the way we think about our sacred spaces. They are as necessary as air, water, and food.
Time spent in our sacred spaces refreshes us. It is transformative. We will be better people - and more at peace with ourselves - if we can visit our sacred spaces. We will be kinder, more patient with others, more reflective, and more tolerant of one another's differences. That makes us better parents, spouses, and teachers.
Where are your sacred spaces?
Can you get there sometime soon?
I hope so.
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