Three Places to Find Tranquility

Found in an ancient letter, but just as relevant today

New England Coast by William Edward Norton, 1873 (public domain - Wikimedia Commons)

“For this, for everything, we are out of tune;
It moves us not.”
— William Wordsworth, 1802

When the world is too much with us (if Wordsworth will excuse me for borrowing his timeless and timely phrase¹), what are we to do?

The torrents of external pressures are ever-present, whether they manifest through a draconian profit and loss statement, the push-and-pull of the attention of a sandwich generation household, or the ceaseless breaking news alerts of dying media outlets.

In such circumstances, we need a break — physically, mentally, spiritually — we need to distance ourselves from the ceaseless volleying of these competing artillery that constantly replenish us with horror, outrage, and sadness.

We prefer calm, orderly lives and yet the world does not avail itself of our most earnest desires.

So what is a busy and stressed out person to do?

I found the answer in an old book, where so much wisdom of scores o…