One of the most underrated things in our emotional landscape and wellbeing is peace, shuffled way back into the background by the ” being happy at any cost” philosophy, burning for the past 50 years or so and making us feel as if there was something seriously wrong with us if we’re not always grinning. We get convinced by society, advertisers, well-meaning kin and friends that “happy” is the only thing worth pursuing. But “happy” is dependent on the outside circumstance and impermanent and fading just as the circumstance is. Peace with all around, with yourself and the world, is what is to be strived for and more times than not “peace” doesn’t even resemble happy. It would more accurately be described as joy, contentment, acceptance, absence of unnecessary drama, and (personal and communal) forgiveness. So make peace – not because everything that happened or the way it unfolded was right, fair or good, but because you can choose to love yourself enough to forgive (forget may be a bit too much to ask from humans).

Make peace with all that happened. It’s passed, it’s gone now and it doesn’t determine who you are now nor is it a factor in any future joy you’ll cultivate and the life you’ll build. Keep the memories as lessons and learn from them. Go about it gracefully and say thank you for having been shown this emotional landscape. Now you know what you didn’t before, it made you better than you were before it. Forgive and move on. There’s nothing left there waiting for you anyway. Some things cannot be saved or rectified. Release the grip. Aren’t your fingers blue from clutching?

Make peace with what is. It may not be perfect but it is yours, and it is here now, in the only malleable time line and you choose how to react to it no matter on which side of the spectrum it sits. It will pass as well – be it blooming and evolving into something more beautiful or wilting away. It is what it is, nothing more or less, and it is also not you.

Make peace with what will be because you can affect it with the choices you make in the now. Put in the effort but don’t expect anything. Have no expectations that the world and situations need to go exactly as you would wish them to. It almost certainly won’t – it will be better or worse but it will be different, it will be what it will be and you’ll be all right You’ll figure it out and cross that bridge when you get to it.

It’s all right. What’s done is done. Make peace and make decisions from a calm place of abundance even if you can’t see it now. It’s all on its way. Not in the way you expected, not through the channels you’d expect or plan and wise (wo)men will come onto the path, people you could have never expected, but they’ll be here. Just make peace and keep your eyes opened.