Recently, I’ve been thinking about how I might create more peace in my life. As much as I find contentment in sitting beneath the fig tree of my childhood home, it’s not a place that I’m able to frequent often. So when I feel as though I am untethered and far from the bounds of familiar comforts, I find myself retreating into different pockets of peace, however way that I can. I find peace in buying tulips from the flower shop a few blocks away. I find peace in burrowing into this one particular corner of my couch. I find peace in saying hello to Freak, the poodle mix that lives in the vintage shop on my street. I find peace in the scent of my bedsheets. To me, peace is being perfectly content with where you are, even if just for a fleeting moment.

 

These bits and pieces of solace are necessary within cities, towns, and homes. I think that with enough patience and discovery and care, society can be covered with these pockets of peace that allow us room to breathe.

 

In this issue, I implore you to consider where and how peace arises in your life. Is it through your community? Is it visiting a specific bookstore? Is it connecting to the natural environment? What does your urban utopia look like? Wherever you may find peace, hold on to it and revisit it often. Because the reality is that sometimes, peace is not always obvious or accessible.