What is Serenity?

I keep throwing this word out - serenity. What does it mean? How do I atain it? By definition, serenity is the state or quality of being serene, or unaffected by disturbance; calm and unruffled. I imagine, of course, that serenity means different things for different people. Since this is my journal, the question begging to be answered is what does serenity mean to me? I don't really have a clear answer for this. I know that reading a good book always makes me feel great. Practicing yoga or pilates at home with complete silence is one of the best moments I can think of. Feeling the fragrant heat of tea on my face. Going to the gym with my friend and catching up on gossip while really working up a sweat really helps bring a needed human connection in my life.

I'm very tempted to write that having a job and being able to financially support myself are things that will bring serenity. However, I did spend a year working in a job and financially supporting myself, and the last word I would use to describe that year is serene. So, it seems that I require something more than that status to calm my mind and truly make me happy. I think I discovered this in college, certainly in law school, but my pride and society required sole focus on my future career.

It is commonly said that practial experience is the best teacher, and after my short stint as an attorney, I wholeheartedly agree. If I gained nothing else from that challenge, I at least recognized how important one's job is in one's life. It is time consuming. Iit takes you away from family and friends. It takes you out of the sunlight. It is the source of most people's stresses. It bleeds into your personal life. It is, by far, one of the biggest chunks of your life. So, it is of the utmost importance to find a job that makes you HAPPY! After really seeing how much a job impacts you and your life, why settle for anything else? I don't know. Maybe I'm just wishful thinking, but a good job is certainly worth fighting for and searching for and praying for. I don't think this answers the question I posed for this entry, but helpful nonetheless.