I am traveling this week, through the air and over ground. From East to West, from temperate to freezing. I enjoy the contrast, especially in the winter months.
Whenever I travel, I make it my intention to be a force of peace and calm for others. I offer myself up as an agent of healing to those around me. On my flight West on Monday, 30 minutes before landing, a young child starting fussing, then crying, then screaming. Most parents who have traveled with small children on airplanes dread the moment when the upset begins to escalate into something completely unmanageable. Not only is your child in distress, but heads start turning to glare at this small being creating such tension. The wise parent takes deep breaths and knows that sooner or later this hell will end.
I was one of those who craned my neck looking for the source of the noise, passing some judgement while I was at it. I couldn't see anything except TENSION everywhere on the faces of the passengers behind me. The crying was filled with panic and anxiety, "DADDY I NEED A .....!" I couldn't understand what the last word of the plea was, it sounded like BED and I could imagine for myself how after four hours of being stuck in a seat on an airplane, a toddler would want to stretch out on a bed, but honestly, I have no idea what this child needed. And then I DID know what he needed, he needed to be soothed and told everything was going to be ok.
So, I closed my eyes, held my hands in Anjali mudra and began to energetically calm the child. I repeated silently that it was ok, everything was going to be ok, everything was fine, it's ok. Call it coincidence or call it miraculous, but the child fell silent within moments and the crisis ended. "I" didn't do anything, the power of love worked some sort of energetic miracle.
I learned a great deal through this. Firstly, that more judgement is never the answer. Secondly, that when all is tense around you, the greatest thing you can offer is calm. And thirdly, when someone or something is in panic, open your heart and allow the mighty power of love it's natural capacity to heal the afflicted.
Om shanthi, may peace prevail on earth.
