Last week, the children and I met up with some friends at a nature reserve. The place was lovely, but it was close to the motorway, so there was a constant background noise.

We sat by the lake while the children played joyfully.

“It’s so beautiful here. I wonder what it would be like without the noise of the cars,” I said to my friend.

“Whenever I’m here, I try to tune in to the sound of the birds instead of the traffic,” she replied.

Her response truly moved me, as I realised how often we focus on the noise our minds create instead of tuning in to the stillness and peace that ultimately bring joy and fulfilment.

So perhaps next time when you look in the mirror, you won’t direct your attention to the wrinkles, spots or grey hair that your mind is pointing out. Perhaps you’ll  soften, and tune into an appreciation of the body that is changing – the body that has given you so many experiences throughout this adventure on Earth.

Perhaps next time you won’t become fixated on your to-do list. Instead, you might pause, look out of the window at nature (even if it’s just a single tree or a patch of grass), and tune in to its magnificent abundance – an abundance of which you are a part of.

Perhaps next time, when you feel the urge to spill your anger and frustration onto someone else, you’ll pause, turn your attention inwards, and take a deep breath, despite your mind telling you it’s the last thing you want to do.

Perhaps you’ll start choosing differently.

How would that feel in your body?

Perhaps you’ll find that peace and richness of life was never as far away as you thought.