Grass

Grass is easy to grow and maintain. Grass is soft to walk on. Grass is pleasing to look at. Grass is easy and generally agreeable.  Why isn't peace easy, soft, pleasing and agreeable?
As you take two minutes to consider peace for our world, think about grass.

Darkness

Darkness is a symbol of peace, of silence, of rest, of comfort. We are born after nine moths in our mother's womb: a dark and warm place that satisfies all our needs. Life doesn't get better than that.  Darkness is about  about  give and take.
As you take two minutes today to consider peace for our world, think about darkness.

Dog House

What is the purpose of a Dog House? Simply put it is a structure to house a dog. Animals like to have a place where they can get away from everything, just like us humans do. Animals like to have a specific place to call their own, the whole territorial thing, you know. So a Dog House is a good thing, right?

Dog House also has some interesting slang uses. We often chuckle at the term "In the Dog House". It is  a figure of speech that expresses emotion and humour at the same time. It generally refers to someone being annoyed with you because of something you did.
"He is in the Dog House because he screwed up again."
"She won't be out of the Dog House until she apologizes."

So, a Dog House addresses territorial needs, expresses emotion and offers us humour. Think about this as you take two minutes to consider peace for our world today.

Winter

Winter...Trees take on a more dramatic, look in winter. They shed their "covers" and stand bare and vulnerable.
Winter is a quieter time and for me the perfect time for reflection and introspection; in a way a time for us to shed our "covers" too.
As you take two minutes to consider peace for our world today, think about the opportunities winter offers.   

What do you Believe?

We all have beliefs that define how the world works for us and how we interact with it.  Our beliefs bridge the gap between what we "know" and what we "assume" in order to function in the world and make decisions.     We may believe things, that are impossible to prove scientifically.
Conflict can arise when one person's beliefs are used to suggest that another person's are untrue. This doesn't necessarily change the "truth" of a situation, but rather the way we interpret those "facts".
As you take two minutes to consider peace for our world today, think about yur beliefs.

Enough

What's mine?  What's yours?   Does it really matter?   As a society in North America we eat too much, spend too much, work too much and want too much. We are tired, stressed, overworked, and afraid. We are afraid that we won’t have more than our neighbours. We are afraid of what others will think if we don’t. We think that we never have enough and are afraid that we never will.
What if you do have enough? What would you do differently if you knew you had enough?
As you take two minutes today to consider peace for our world, think about the word enough.

Ninnyhammer

Words are powerful. Words stay in our minds literally forever. Choose your words carefully. To label someone a ninnyhammer, is a low blow. We casually toss out accusations like birdbrain, stupid, idiot or dope; not thinking how deep these little words can cut.

As you take two minutes today to consider peace for our world, think about the word ninnyhammer.

Ocean

The ocean is deep, ominous and mysterious.  To see the expansiveness, to hear the sounds, to feel the constancy, to sense the order of our universe is breathtaking.
As you take two minutes to consider peace for our world today, think about the ocean.

Masks

Who are you?  Is the real you hidden behind a mask? Are you wiling to take the risk of removing your mask and accepting yourself?

When we remove our masks and become genuine, we drop many of our anxieties and judgements about ourselves and other people.

As you take two minutes to consider peace for our world today, allow yourself to remove your mask at the same time and be open to shifting perspectives.

Breath

Body, mind and breath.

All lines connect.

Now listen to the never-ending conversation of your breath.

Bija Bennett

Mindful breathing creates an expansive state of mind, so as you take two minutes today to consider peace for our world think about breathing.

Veterans All

We appropriately honour our veterans on November 11 every year.  Did  you know that every country on every continent on earth that has ever been involved in a war has veterans?  That includes Asia, Africa, Antarctica, Australia, Europe, North America and South America.  So even currently unpopular   (according to our governments) places like Syria and Iran have veterans.

As you take two minutes to consider peace for our world today, will you expand your idea of what a veteran is?

Bustle

We live busy frantic lives, hustling and bustling to and fro. We tend to move quickly with great animation. To what end are we bustling? 

A bustle is a framework worn under a garment (usually a wedding gown),  which serves to support and elevate the train.

As you take two minutes to consider peace for our world today, will your bustle elevate and support or bustle to fit in with the masses?

Water

Water; that beautiful, transparent, odorless, tasteless liquid. 
Water is healing in that it washes away harmful toxins we consume in the foods we eat while keeping our bodies hydrated. The sound of waves lull us into a deeply relaxed state, which can help rejuvenate the mind and body. Water is so soothing and necessary.

Water is also destructive. Tidal waves and tsunamis can destroy coast lines, cities and take thousands of lives.

Heavy rain and overflowing rivers can cause flooding which can destroy people's livelihoods as well as take lives.

As you take two minutes to consider peace for our world today, think about the word water.

War

War...are there any winners when we go to war? I would say not. There are only those who are left. As you consider peace for our world today, think about the word war.

Fuzzy

Does fuzzy conjure up cute and cuddly images of a teddy bear? Or does fuzzy mean lack of clarity or being out of focus?
As you take two minutes today to consider peace for our world, think about fuzzy.

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Laughing At

Laughing at is passing judgement. How many times have you laughed at somebody and justified it? I didn't mean any harm. It was so ridiculous, how could I not laugh at the situation? As you take two minutes today to consider peace for our world, think about what you are actually doing when you are laughing at.

Peace as Choice

What do you choose today? Can you take a step back and choose compassion rather than confrontation? Can you silently take a breath and feel your perspective shift?
As you take two minutes today to consider peace for our world, think about choice.

Why Consider Peace At All?

This past Remembrance Day the thought of considering Peace for two minutes every day for the next year exploded inside me. Remembrance Day comes and goes and life goes on with it's beauty and its conflicts. While I know how important it is to acknowledge and honour all our veterans across the globe (not just in North America), I couldn't help but think, "This is not enough." Hence this blog was born. I simply could not ignore the voice from deep within. Disputes and conflicts may be inevitable, but violence is not.  Violence is a choice. I want to  take this little 5 letter word and make it the biggest 5 letter word ever. Our "enemies" change with each new conflict, so are they really our "enemies"? I think not.
As you take two minutes today to consider peace for our world, think about the word respect.