Question 11: Finding Serenity
Published August 25, 2026
Question: Where do you go to find serenity?
Rachel’s Response from 2023
Some days are tough, and I like to become a queen of the pity pot, and going to a place where I seek serenity is one of the most important tools I have in times like those. When reflecting on this question though this morning, I realized how truly blessed I am because I have multiple places to go where sometimes people have NO WHERE. Though I wish I was the genius who came up with the concept for this question, I must admit it was actually a friend who inspired this.
Early on in the process of picking questions for this project, this person suggested that I ask a question about serenity. At first, I played along with it and said that was a great idea, but truth be told I was not sure yet. It didn’t take me long to genuinely love the idea. We live in a CRAZY world where challenges of every shape and size threaten to strike at us every day. In truth, we need to have places where we can go, places we can rely on, to help us get to that place of serenity. I am a Christian, and I know I can pray to God and ask for peace. Yet if the environment around me is chaotic, it makes it harder to feel that serenity the Lord wants to bless me with. We can pray to the Lord to give us peace all we want, and He is faithful and will answer our prayers, but it does not take away the need we have to escape chaos and experience a change in environment. Thus, my friend is brilliant for bringing this concept to my mind. It has been two months since this friend suggested the idea of serenity to me, and it is incredible and ironic how much can change in two months. This friend now faces unbelievably challenging circumstances and needs serenity now more than ever. As I reached out to participants this week, I asked that they all take a moment to think of this friend and perhaps pray for them and their family as they pondered the idea of serenity. On that note, here are some of the places where I go to find serenity:
As previously mentioned, there are multiple places I can go to find serenity, but today I will only mention one: the bathtub. I turn off the lights, light some candles, use soothing salts and bubble bath mixtures, and play classical music or Enya (primarily Enya). When I am feeling particularly fancy, I will bring my laptop in the bathroom and play Disney’s Fantasia 2000 or The Snowman cartoon (if it’s Christmas). Regardless of what I play in the background, the bathtub is a place where I can lay in a low lit and warm environment and experience stillness. Some of Enya’s music is instrumental, but other songs have lyrics that paint pictures of things like snow or rain. Other lyrics are deeper and relate to things of the heart, and the best part is that it's deep in a peacefully contemplative way, not a stressful critically thinking fashion. Here are the lyrics to the song Pilgrim:
Pilgrim, how you journey
On the road you choose.
To find out why the winds die
And where the stories go?
All days come from one day
That much you must know.
You cannot change what's over
But only where you go.
One way leads to diamonds
One way leads to gold
Another leads you only
To everything you're told.
In your heart you wonder
Which of these is true
The road that leads to nowhere
The road that leads to you?
Will you find the answer
In all you say and do?
Will you find the answer
In you?
Each heart is a pilgrim
Each one wants to know
The reason why the winds die
And where the stories go.
Pilgrim, in your journey
You may travel far
For, pilgrim, it's a long way
To find out who you are
Dear Pilgrim and friend, I hope you are able to find that place of serenity so you can come even closer to peace and find who you are.
Responses from My Community
“In a book. Taking a moment to immerse myself in a new world or to fully engage with ideas or concepts that I hadn't considered.” ~ Male, 42.
“For several years I thought that the place where I sought serenity had to be in a specific spot but now realize that place (of seeking) can be anywhere at any time. However, I have developed a routine that brings me peace and sets the tone for my day. Before getting out of bed in the morning, I thank God for my blessings, pray for family and friends and strength (lots of it). I am fortunate that my mornings are free, and I spend the next two hours listening to my favorite faith-based programs, reading the bible and a couple of devotionals. I do not feel pressured to commit to this daily practice but find this time really blesses me and results in serenity and clarity.” ~ Female, 78.
“Nature. Taking time to see the intricacies of God’s creation, perhaps in rocks, leaves or ice sickles. Feeling the warm sun, or cool ocean breeze. . Listening for leaves fluttering in the wind or birds chirping. If you look for it, serenity can be found wherever there is nature. Even in your own backyard.” ~ Female, 64.
“I like to go into nature to find serenity, particularly near water. The ocean, or a lake, can be very calming. Just laying near the water or on a paddle board can calm me. It’s especially nice if it’s with friends, and everyone is quiet, and just enjoying the presence of those close to you.” ~ Female, 24.
“Without question my serenity space is in my many flower gardens or in the woods. Nature is a great healer of the spirit.” ~ Female, 65.
“Anyplace quiet. Favorite spot though is the beach.” ~ Female, 61.
“My home. The living room in the mornings is so bright with the sun coming in. My other place would have to be the Ocean.” ~Female, 63.
“On a walk outside with fresh air. This walk could be at a nearby park or hiking trail - such as trails at Mount Rainier. But it doesn’t have to be a mountain - it could be any range of places. Even taking a nice bath at home, perhaps with a bath bomb or bubble bath.” ~ Female, 25.
“The ocean or into the woods back home.” ~ Female, 21.
“A basic definition of “serenity” identifies it as a state of being calm, tranquil, unruffled, or at peace. This implies that there is a physical and emotional/mental component and that there is a circumstance, event, situation, or action occurring that throws one out of balance. Through a process of mental and physical adjustments, one can (re)gain the sensed-felt state of serenity. By achieving serenity, one gains the possibility of assessing and responding with intention to the elicitors of one’s perturbation, rather than acting out of habit and/or feeling and reactivity. The serenity prayer is beautifully composed to both describe verbally what some of the inherent challenges are to (re)gaining one’s state of serenity and provide a “tool” to help complete the challenges successfully. Reinhold Niebuhr wrote: “God, give us grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, Courage to change the things which should be changed, and the Wisdom to distinguish the one from the other. Living one day at a time, Enjoying one moment at a time, Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace, Taking, as Jesus did, This sinful world as it is, Not as I would have it, Trusting that You will make all things right, If I surrender to Your will, So that I may be reasonably happy in this life, And supremely happy with You forever in the next. Amen.” Taking the prayer’s first few lines can be a helpful tool at times, with additional possible means to (re)gaining serenity being forms of meditation (guided imagery, movement meditation, prayer), tactile and emotional grounding when petting and connecting with one’s animal friend, talking with someone who cares and can help “process” the emotions and thoughts, breath work (including singing), doing artwork, writing, etc. Lists are plentiful and easily found online. What is equally important as seeking to (re)gain one’s equilibrium is to 1) recognize when one is off kilter, agitated, ruffled, etc., and 2) remind oneself that this state is temporary. Just as being serene is not a constant state, neither are the situation or circumstances and the corresponding feelings and thoughts that may overwhelm in their intensity and thereby provoke additional distress and discomfort. This recognition in and of itself can lower the volume of one’s feelings and make room for perspective changes, which the process of (re)gaining serenity requires. Finally, the body’s systems are fundamental elements to one’s ability to cope with oneself, one’s emotions, one’s thinking, and with the world. By fostering awareness of one’s body’s needs and ministering to them, one encourages emotional regulation, resilience, and serenity. A body and mind that is on a roller coaster of stimulants, including sugar, lack of sleep, caffeine, lacks magnesium and other nutrients, etc., has a much greater likelihood of being agitated than calm. Physically going someplace where I feel safe, soothed, and connected to the magnificence of the world, which could be several locations with elements of nature that provide a calming sensory experience, also fosters serenity via the body and the mind and heart. This might be a place with sun, a particular favorite scent or fragrance (sweet meadow grass in the sun or the rice fields in the summer sun in the Sacramento Valley in CA or a spot on a boulder in a cold creek with wild mint nearby).”~Female, 55+
“HWY 101 road trip. Driving down the Oregon & California coast line is the most relaxing & soothing experience. The salty sea air, beautiful beaches, and the redwoods are heavenly!” ~ 52 year old.
“I wish I had a specific place to seek serenity in, but for the most part if I’m seeking it, it’s anywhere outside in the sunshine and with trees blowing in the wind. Or if I lived closer to water like the ocean or a lake it would be found there for me. As cliche as it may be, there is nothing quite as serene as being in nature- sometimes even a walk around the neighborhood is enough.” ~ Female, 27.
“I find serenity... At the ocean. Looking out across an endless sea, and relishing how "small" I feel in comparison, yet, at the same time, how full, and complete, and a "part of" it all. On the open road. Facing spontaneous decisions, discovering hidden treasures, and sharing conversations with strangers. When surrounded by nature. Taking deep breaths, concentrating on the heaviness of footfalls on the forest floor, and cherishing the silence.” ~ Female, 29.