Panning for Peace

I stand there in the river

There’s no one here but me

The water is cold and fast

And goes up to my knees

In my hands, a shallow dish

I use to scoop the rocks

I dig and search and carry on

Without a care for clocks

The little flecks of gold I find

Are barely even there

Just tiny grains like flour

I must search for them with care

Some say that it’s not worth it

This panning that I do

For it will take ten thousand years

To make a ring or two

But what they do not know

It’s not about the gold

No, the treasure that I really want

Is peace within my soul

For when I’m standing in this place

Among the gifts of nature

My mind can rest and stop to think

Of things that make me whole

Away from all the busy things

Which keep my days so full

Away from the noise of city life

Sweet stillness is my goal

I hear the song of the babbling brook

The birds are all a twitter

And in the bush I think I hear

An animal or a critter

The smell of dirt, the scent of trees

The buzzing of the bees

Are all around and fill the air

I feel a sense of peace

For even with all these sounds

As I stand in running water

There’s quiet and there’s stillness

No human words are uttered

They’re far away and will not come

Near my small oasis

They’re all too busy with their lives

Running all their races

So it does not matter what I find

Within the earth’s deep dirt

Gold and garnets cannot match

The peace of heav’n on earth

There is beauty all around

If one will take the chance

To search for treasures high and low

Within the world’s expanse

So while I look for gold and rocks

And other worldly riches

The real treasure that’s I’ve won

Is hidden within our reaches

Take a minute and go out

To see what nature brings

And sit under a shady tree

And hear the birdies sing

You’ll feel much better, I promise you

When you take the time

For though I pan for gold

It’s peace I really find