I haven’t been in a room with a broadcasting television for 3 months.

I haven’t intentionally watched a show for much much longer than that. Today when I went to the workout facility at work, the only other person in the gym had decided to entertain herself with a home remodeling show while she ran on the treadmill.

Many things that I heard and saw projected from the screen over the next 30 minutes concerned me, but I want to mention one moment, one sentence, in particular that hit me deeply.

During a commercial for a home security system company, a woman recounted an instance when she had come home to a burglar in her house. She said lots of physical and emotional damage was done, and then said this: “What that robber really took from us was our peace of mind.”

I was so alarmed by this, by the helplessness in her voice and on her face as she said it. I could finally relate to my mom watching football on TV—I wanted to shout at the television, “Please don’t choose to be a victim; let me teach you what I have learned about peace of mind!”

Peace of mind is not a result of external conditions being one way or another. Peace of mind cannot be forcibly taken from you by a burglar or neighbor or spouse.

Peace of mind lies within.

True peace of mind is not a state of being you occasionally find yourself in; it’s a way of being. It’s the lens through which you view your life and everything in it. It’s what holds you together after something like a robbery happens. It is what makes you breathe deep and let go.

Peace of mind frees you from worry, from fear, from suffering. It is where you turn to remember what is truly important in life, where you can find the answers to what you really have control over and what you don’t.

And in the very same place you can seek solace if that truth is hard to accept. Every day we see burglars trying to break into the homes we build inside ourselves—our place of safety and comfort, of well-being. Every day we greet the world, while protecting this safe haven from attacks or intrusions (though we may not even realize it). We often forget, however, that intruders can only enter and burglars can only take where and what we allow them.

It is ultimately our choice.

Peace of mind is where you find your true essence: love. Once you find it, you will see it is the best weapon to fight intrusions. When you live the fullest version of your loving self, you realize the burglars and intruders aren’t looking for anything but a place of safety and comfort.

Invite them in. The capacity of your heart will certainly surprise you. Peace of mind cannot be taken, but it can be shared, without limits.

Anna Decker recently returned from living in Latin America for several years, and is writing a book about her experiences, especially the happiness & healing she has found in simplicity. She is a yogi and embarking on an educational journey into the world of integrative health. She currently lives in Salt Lake City, Utah and loves being close to such beautiful mountains.

Editor: Anne Clendening

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