Beneath the Surface: Finding Peace When Life Feels Wobbly

In this blog post, Cherie Pasion explores the hidden depths of our emotions through nature’s mirror – and offers a simple practice to find peace when life feel’s wobbly. 

There’s a reason I love being in nature. Not only does it soothe and uplift – it offers us life wisdom, if we choose to be present and open. Nature has an uncanny way of holding up a mirror to our inner state, reflecting both what we long for and what we need to acknowledge.

Last week, my inner world felt especially wobbly. I was trying something new and as a result was full of discomfort – frazzled, stressed, and caught up in thoughts of not being or doing enough. As I stood at the edge of our area’s lake, I took in the scene: the grey winter light cast reflections against water perfectly calm and still. 

I couldn’t help but wish that my mind matched the tranquility before me. How could the lake look so peaceful while I felt like I was caught in a storm?

But then it struck me: I was only seeing the surface.

Beneath the lake’s mirror-like top, I couldn’t see the undercurrents, the whirling eddies, the hidden murkiness or shadows. I could only observe what was visible on the surface. And in that moment, it dawned on me how often we do the same with people around us – and even ourselves.

How many of us are walking through life noticing the calm outer layers of others? We see colleagues, friends, strangers going about their day, appearing composed and collected, yet we have no insight into what’s unfolding beneath their surface.

And too often, we judge ourselves harshly for not matching that apparent calm. We think: Why can’t I be as together as they seem? Why am I the only one feeling this way? But we forget that each and every one of us has undercurrents and shadows, unseen depths that move and stir beneath the exterior we show the world.