Today is Christmas Eve and many individuals are not in a state of peace, but of hurrying up to buy last minute gifts, food preparations or traveling to families and friends.  Thinking about being in a state of peace is difficult during the most calm of times.

A local newspaper here, NWI Times, published a story about some individuals who sought peace and respite from this crazy busy time of year by physically engaging in a poem by Robert Frost. These folks engage in this trek each year on the shortest day of the year.

Here is the full text of the poem with the last lines having particular significance:

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

As this year comes to an end, maybe now is the time to embrace this season of peace; to take some time to return or find peace within you.

When we are anxious, troubled, focused on real world events, there is a tendency to lose our inner sense of peace and calm. This lost potentially not only affects our mental, physical and emotional health, but our ability to increase sales and run our businesses both efficiently and effectively.

I leave you with these two questions along with a most sincere wish for a Christmas full of incredible peace:

• What promises will you make by 1/1/2012?
• And more importantly how will you keep them?

Merry Christmas and Peace Be with You and Yours