SERENITY
Are you ready for week 3?
Here are four prompting questions to get you started on the emotion of SERENITY:
1. When have you felt fully at peace and serene, truly content with where you are?
2. When has your life felt so comfortable and so very right?
3. When does your body feel completely relaxed, with all of your physical tensions melted away?
4. When do you feel like simply sitting back and soaking it all in, savouring the goodness you feel, thinking of new ways to get this feeling in your life more often?
We hope you have a great week.
Mandy
“I listened intently to Mel’s questions tonight about serenity. Our garden is that place. It is peaceful, it has come to fruition through hard work, love and patience. It is my peaceful place. So many happy memories from years gone by when the kids were little, So many future memories of things to come with visits from said kids and grandchild! NOTHING BETTER!!! I hope every one of us has such a place. Xxx”
Hunter & Arabella via Anna
“The kids are still watching Mels videos are getting involved. Serenity for Hunter was a family trip to Phillip Is and waterfalls. And Arabella showers, massage and Hobbiton in NZ. Still working on mine!”
Stacey C
“Serenity for me has been a bit harder to think of. I think there are moments here or there but I guess a couple of Saturdays ago when we had our first glorious spring day I shared this hour of serenity with my boy in the backyard.”
Lucy
“I find serenity in sewing 🧵 over the last six months. It’s always been a vague skill that I have but it’s become a hobby and I completely lose track of time, getting lost in the threads.
From mask making to teaching friends to sew (before regional Vic went into lockdown), to gift making I feel so at peace at my sewing machine.”
Anna
“Oh the serenity! 😍 My favourite beach in Byron Bay, where I lived for five years. Lots of serenity during that time in life! Sunset from the infinity pool in Koh Lanta when on holiday with my sister. I’m sure I even said the famous Castle line at that moment. Gigs surrounded by thousands of other fans. Getting massages, bliss!”
Kath
“Serenity was hard to find this week. Came to the conclusion that where the ocean meets the sky is my place of peace and this usually involves a sunrise or sunset.”
Joffa
“Serenity isn’t a common emotion for me and not one I often experience, but I do experience it when I meditate.
Tracy
“It’s as simple as walking the dog. And I’m bloody lucky to have this outside my door.”
Amie
“Serenity for me is found outdoors.. I love the beach, camp fires and bush walking.
Jess
“I went a little OTT but I love it!
For me serenity is;
-connecting with nature.
-Being present in the moment.
-Appreciating the magic that is in & all around us.”
Michelly
“Being in nature, the smell, sound and feel of it.
Especially during these lockdowns, my walks in the park and by the beach were the moments of the day that kept this bucket full.
When you feel the sun in your skin, hear the birds singing, the noise of the wind on the leaves, the movement of the sea…. it brings me peace, it calms, it re-energises, it makes me happy, it takes away the thoughts in my mind and brings a moment of just ‘being’, I know then that all is fine.”
Jarred
“I knew my Serenity answer straight away. I have a particular spot where serenity wraps me up in a big old cozy blanket and takes me to a place where my mind is clear, my worries are gone and an abundance of peace takes hold.
When the September 11 attacks happened in 2001 I just happened to be at Wilsons Promontory National Park for 4 days of training and with no TV, internet or newspapers we were completely oblivious to the horrible things happening else where around the world. On one of the evenings we were there, about 20 of my colleagues and I ventured up to the top of Mount Oberon to watch the sunset. There was no way I was missing that opportunity. The top of Mount Oberon at Wilson’s Promontory National Park is by far my favourite spot on this big old green and blue planet of ours.
When we returned from watching an incredible sunset, one of my colleagues asked me “where did you go while we were up there?”
I was confused at first because he was with me the whole time but he began to explain that he was watching me sitting on the rocks staring out into the horizon and despite there being about 20 people around me, he said I’d gone to a place where no one else was. He said he thought I was having some kind of spiritual experience up there and he was curious to know more.
That shocked me because it wasn’t something I thought other people could see but he was right. There’s just something about that spot on top of Mount Oberon that is very spiritually grounding for me and where I feel complete serenity.
It’s incredibly beautiful up there. The ferocity of the waves below becomes insignificant and their sounds soothing. Despite the rugged environment, it’s spectacular, peaceful and still. You get a birds eye view of the world and you can see just how insignificant we all are. Our planet is so enormous and our oceans so vast. This might sound weird but it’s the place where I feel closest to God.
It’s hard yakka getting up there on foot. It’s steep and uphill the whole way. It usually takes at least an hour. I’ve climbed Mount Oberon a number of times over the past 25 years (at least 6 or 7) and it never disappoints. I even proposed to my wife there and earlier this year we took our kids up there for the first time.
We’ve been camping at Wilsons Promontory since I was a child so I tend to have a lot of serenity experiences there. It’s been a place of refuge when I’ve been on the brink of burn out and it’s also one of the few places I can go and sit in a camp chair and stare at the trees and mountains for hours and not feel bad about it. It’s also a place full of deep seeded positive memories for me with our friends and family.
Even arriving at Wilsons Prom is a serenity experience for me. Every time I drive to Wilsons Prom, there’s this one spot as you’re driving towards Tidal River, you come up over a hill and start heading down a slow sweeping bend where you get your first glimpse of the ocean overlooking Whiskey Bay. Without fail, every time I drive that sweeping bend and see that view I get this an overwhelming sense of ‘ahhhh…. I’m home’. The weight comes off my shoulders and the worries of the world are on the other side of the mountain behind us.
So good. And even just looking at the photos now… ahhh the serenity. 😎”
Rain on a Tin Roof Playlist – DJ
“Summer storms at my grandparents house in Wahgunyah during school holidays.
Their house has a tin roof and we would sit and watch under the veranda as the rain would come.
Aside from the relief it would bring from the heat of the day, I found it to be so relaxing and serene.
There is also a certain smell that I associate with this emotion and memory, which I didn’t think there was a word for but apparently there is – petrichor ⛈
I couldn’t find an image or video for this one but I found a great playlist on Spotify that sounds just like it!”