Peace At Last

This morning I woke up early. In fact I hadn’t really slept much. Rather than try and fight the inevitable I decided to embrace it and get up. I donned my running gear, laced up my trainers and headed out the door before sunrise. I’ve recently started enjoying running again. The clearing-the-head effect it has is quite welcome at the moment and for some reason I decided to go in a different direction to normal. I slowly dragged myself up the Janiculum hill, a steep hill named after the double headed god Janus, because from the top one could see the land of the Romans on one side and the land of the Etruscans on the other. There’s a piazza up there with a huge equestrian statue of Garibaldi; commandingly surveying the city below from his steed. The refreshment traders were pulling up their trailer shutters and shaking the rain from the canopies. From the terrace the whole city spreads out before you in all its beauty. The skyline a wonderful mix of church domes, palazzos and iconic monuments. The terrace is a popular place to enjoy the city views, particularly with couples of an evening. But this morning I was one of only a handful of people. As I stood and admired the beauty below it was as though the city itself was slowly waking from it’s slumber; shaking off its hazy blanket from a soggy night of rain, the pink and orange hues of the sky were reflected in the mottled clouds. Despite the cool air pricking my bare arms I decided to stay and watch the sun creep up over the clouds in the distance. The mountains behind enveloping the scene in a reassuring embrace. The ascending sun transformed the city, its warm glow continuously highlighting different parts and soon the ball of orange fully emerged from it’s fluffy shield. The dark, black puddles on the cobblestones at my feet had soon become mirrors of orange and yellow.

I had an overwhelming sense of peace and calm wash over me. I’m pleased I decided to go in a different direction. I needed to see Rome from up there, in that way, as though it was reminding me how incredible it is and how, despite challenges, being there in that moment was worth it. Peace is a word I find myself keeping coming back to at the moment. Sometimes perhaps a different direction is needed in order to find it. During the remainder of my run my mind wandered and thought about the ways in which peace is found. I came to the conclusion, that for me, it isn’t necessarily in solitude. It’s as much about interactions and relationships with people than it is about sunrises or sunsets. The calming effect of speaking to a certain person when you feel upset or anxious is a small but wonderful gift. Whatever the range of emotions you have been feeling, by hearing their voice, their advice and their reassurance that everything will be OK restores that balance and serenity. I’m not sure they always know they’re doing it. Perhaps you have that effect on someone…perhaps I do. But either way it metaphorically feels like coming home and that peace is restored.

I love witnessing the effect of peace on others too. Some of my favourite moments of the previous year were witnessing the reactions of people passing through the holy doors of the Papal Basilicas. The one that got the most wonderous reactions was St Paul’s outside the walls. Countless times I would enter first, walk in to the nave and turn back to wait for my clients. And countless times I was so moved by their reaction to the incredible interior that they found themselves in, as though they had taken a deep, restorative breath. One reaction in particular stood out and will stay with me forever. It was the 3rd of June and my clients that day were the most gorgeous family from Texas. Three generations; two grandparents, two parents and three grandchildren. They had saved up for years to make this trip and just to see how close they were as a family was a beautiful thing. I gave them some space to enjoy the holy door and went ahead as usual to wait in the nave. When I turned to look back the grandfather was awestruck. He looked up and around the vast basilica and as I watched he wiped tears from his eyes. As some of you will know if someone else cries I then start too! So before I knew it we were both stood in the church crying! I remember him telling me how peaceful he felt. I had to agree, of all the religious buildings I’d visited this was the most serene. I highly recommend visiting it if you come to Rome.

Another observational moment of peace from this week was at the “Flowers” exhibit in the Chiostro del Bramante. This beautiful, interactive installation combines art, nature, history and even politics to take the visitor on a wonderful journey through the world of flowers. In one room in particular there is a sofa-type affair in the middle where the visitor can lie down on their back and look up at the installation above, created by Studio Drift to represent the combination of technology and nature. The viewer watches the gorgeous clockwork flowers open and close above them. But what struck me most was, as I waited for my friend, I was watching the group of teenagers, probably on a school trip, who filled the sofa after us. They were all laying there, heads together at the centre, looking up at the art. There was no shouting or cracking jokes, no boisterous behaviour and above all there wasn’t a mobile phone in sight. They were still, quiet and calm as they shared in the experience of witnessing the changing colours above them. It was really lovely to see.

“Peace at Last” was a favourite book of ours as children. A lovely little tale by Jill Murphy telling the story of Mr Bear trying to get to sleep. Whilst it might not be the most profound tale, it does result in Mr Bear enjoying a nice cup of tea; the reassuring, classic British solution to all problems. So whether peace for you can be found in a sunrise, a conversation, a good book or a hug-in-a-mug I hope this year is a year of peace for you too.