My Harmony Rock

It was a gift, this little green stone with the word Harmony etched across its face. I had actually been given two of them, the other one having Journey carved into it, but I lost that one somewhere along the way. I’m not sure if that is symbolic or not. I’ve searched for it all over the place, but it has yet to turn back up. I’m not worried, however. I have plenty of guiding forces that keep me along the right path.

I keep my Harmony rock in my left front pocket of my pants and it has become a familiar weight that I have come to enjoy. There is a whole culture that believes that if you etch a word in a stone or crystal you gain power towards that end. I’ve even seen it said to put the word in ice and freeze it and you can make strides toward your goal. I’m not sure how valid those practices are, but it can’t hurt to try it, that’s for sure. Somehow, I think it may be more mind over matter and the carving the word is symbolic of that belief system. As I said I don’t know and I am not going to criticize someone’s spiritual practices. I’ll leave that to the fanatics. I don’t use my stone to give me power. I use it as a reminder of the harmony that surrounds me. I don’t pull my harmony from my little green rock. I pull it from the people I surround myself with.

I realized quite awhile ago that you can’t control the world. You can’t even control the people around you that you are closest too, even though you want to force them into your viewpoints on world events. This is apparent on Facebook and Twitter and why I hide quite a few people during elections.

However, I can control who I allow to surround my family and me. You don’t have to live on an island to have harmony. You just have to have the mindset that turmoil and drama are not welcome and do your best to cut it out of your life and your surroundings.

Harmony comes from acceptance of differences. Once you realize that everyone is different and that there is nothing wrong with that, you’ll take a very heavy weight off of your shoulders. There is nothing wrong with having your beliefs, but it’s also all right if others don’t share them. You can be vocal without being belligerent and judgmental. You can embrace different races, cultures, and sexual orientations without losing anything of yourself. It won’t make you a bitter person, but a better one. You don’t have to like everything to be in harmony with the world. You just have to accept that others do and not make it a cause you have to fight against.

I don’t deal with chaos. There are some who seem to thrive on it. I can’t. I prefer the waters calm in my life. There is enough stress every month when I glance at my electric bill without adding to it by bringing someone else’s madness into my home. This is my world, this house, the back porch, the yard, and the people who frequent it. This I can control and transform into my oasis in the midst of a desert of spinning tension. This is my safe haven. This is where I find my harmony.

I pull harmony from the girls, my children, and my closest friends. I don’t pull it from life’s circumstances and other people’s opinions. I also don’t worry about what other people think of my life. I don’t need validation or acceptance. When you are content with who you are and how your life is going, then you can have harmony, but you have to base it on you and no one else. I spent too many years trying to please so many other people and never being truly happy. The past few years I have scrapped all of that and focused on the people who matter and my dreams. That is what harmony is about, my friends.

It’s a matter of self-preservation. It’s all well and good to tend to your body, watching what you eat and making sure you exercise. However, if you fail to find harmony in your life all of the rest is just wasted effort. Slow down. Breath. Look around you at what is causing you stress and adding chaos to your life. It’s time to make some changes and dismiss the discord. Find that focus you need to bring your life back to peaceful bliss. As the saying goes, don’t worry about what you cannot change, but change what you can and then change your attitude about the rest. You’ll not only live calmer, you’ll live longer.

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