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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Calendar: Saturday, Oct. 25 Helman students illustrate kindness, love Newly renovated Ashland Hills hosts open house SOU's 'Count Me In' campaign raises $210,000 Aquatics backer announces write-in candidacy for Parks & Rec board Education Helman students illustrate kindness, love SOU's 'Count Me In' campaign raises $210,000 Fun, fundraising and art at Helman Elementary School Ashland mourns death of former coach Stan Gida Goal not reached, but don't count out 'Count Me In' yet Environment Rite Aid cub well, could come back to southern Oregon Report: Smaller streams need further protection Bear cub wanders into Rite Aid Kalmiopsis' future at stake if mining goes forward Fires and forests evolved together, but now people are in the mix Business Newly renovated Ashland Hills hosts open house Hot Stuff Espresso Blue Toba erupts onto dining scene Interim president leads in a different direction Silvio Calabi: Acura’s 2015 TLX is two cars in one Politics and elections Aquatics backer announces write-in candidacy for Parks & Rec board Richardson accuses Kitzhaber of 'corruption' in final debate Stricker steps down from Talent council Merkley-Wehby to debate in Medford Ashland land use rule review continues State News Nation - World Obituaries Ronald J. Hupp Death Notices Gary Wayne Campbell Brian Douglas Bellamy Death Notices Sports Latest Stories They're twins, and they're good Royals' Guthrie to face Giants' Hudson in Game 3 App Finder: Best basketball apps No. 11 SOU volleyball team returns home for two key matches Ashland mourns death of former coach Stan Gida High school They're twins, and they're good Ashland mourns death of former coach Stan Gida What slump? Grizzlies drop-kick Eagles Grizzlies row to raise money for regatta Grizzlies run out of magic in loss to No. 3 Springfield Southern Oregon University No. 11 SOU volleyball team returns home for two key matches Ashland mourns death of former coach Stan Gida SOU football team falls to No. 7 in NAIA rankings No. 4 SOU, No. 3 Carroll to square off in Frontier Conference showdown Third-ranked Concordia strikes quick, topples SOU Opinion Latest Stories Our View: Fix the 'free speech zone' Teaching the First Amendment Granlund cartoon: New York Ebola Jim Brock: Should government legalize gay marriage? 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Our View: Fix the 'free speech zone' ... Teaching the First Amendment ... Calendar: Saturday, Oct. 25 ... Our View: Fix the 'free speech zone' ... Teaching the First Amendment ... INNER PEACE Portal to freedom and expanded human potential By Janai 'Grandma Boom' Mestrovich DailyTidings.com By Janai 'Grandma Boom' Mestrovich Posted Oct. 24, 2014 @ 2:45 pm By Janai 'Grandma Boom' Mestrovich Posted Oct. 24, 2014 @ 2:45 pm » RELATED CONTENT • Illness: One road to inner peace • Community Blog: Predicting Peace - Part 4 of 7 • 'No Mud, No Lotus': An opportunity • Spirit to spirit: Listening to plants • Confronting the tyranny of expectations » Social News Inner peace is a portal to freedom. It can be freedom from chaos and challenging circumstances; a commercial break from one's life movie; a safe haven for quiet solitude as the calm eye in the midst of a brewing storm; a simple gift of sweetness for the mind/body/emotions/spirit to rest; a safe haven to observe life at a distance and gain healthy perspective. Inner peace can also lay the foundation for peak communication with humans and animals where negative emotions have no place. Such is the experience I had 11 years ago in the wilderness with an opportunity to connect with a wildcat. The following is an excerpt from my book launched this September, “The Grandma Boom Chronicles ... More Alive at 65”: “I went for a walk up the mountain. I walked up a steep incline on a dirt logging road and reached the small plateau at the top. I stopped, and there, not 15 yards in front of me, was a bobcat. It looked to be sniffing, hunting for food. He did not see me behind him. A lightning bolt of fear shot from my feet through my head. I was downwind, so he could not smell my fear. "I knew I had to make a choice, and quickly. Either I could quietly back down the mountain, or I could stay and follow the wildcat. If I stayed, fear could play no part in this. I chose to stay and release my fear. "Quietly, slowly, I bent to pick up a stick. They say that if a wild animal sees you waving a stick slowly above your head, it makes you appear larger than it. It was my safety stick. The bobcat started to walk away slowly. I kept pace, walking when he did, and followed him for a few minutes. Then he turned and went into a grassy meadow. I walked to the edge of the meadow and waited. Suddenly, the wildcat jumped into the air and pounced into some tall grass. He stood, and turned his head. He had a mouse in his mouth. "Then our eyes locked. We stood, motionless, for a good three to four minutes. Then he started to move in slow motion, lowering his back end to the ground. Then he slowly lowered his chest and head, keeping his eyes high enough to see over the tall grass. The entire time, his eyes were locked on mine. "My inner voice told me to follow suit. In what seemed to my leg muscles to take an eternity, I slowly lowered my back end, then slowly lowered my front end, until I was in the same position. Our eyes remained locked. "We stayed put. After several minutes my legs begged me to stand up. Going as slowly as I had before, I raised myself up in the same way. When I was again standing, the bobcat copied me, keeping the mouse in his mouth. Our eyes were still locked. "Finally, I decided to speak to him. I said out loud, 'Hi, I am Janai. I am so very grateful you have shared this special experience for my birthday. Thank you from my heart.' He seemed to be listening. 'My work is for the children in the world, including the children of nature, like yours. Today I want to see if the irises are blooming. I ask for safe passage to the iris field.' "When I finished the word 'field,' he looked away, turned slowly and walked up the side of the mountain, with the mouse still hanging from his mouth. "I was filled with ecstatic energy, a state of grace and gratitude. Once again my human potential had expanded beyond what I could have imagined.” Inner tranquility afforded me being able to connect with the wild animal. It continues to inspire me to be open to many life opportunities. Janai Mestrovich, aka "Grandma Boom," lives in Ashland, is an international speaker, life coach and has taught at the University of Oregon and SOU. Her book is available at Bloomsbury, Renaissance Rose and Amazon.com. Her website is: www.grandmaboom.com. Send articles on inner peace to Sally McKirgan [email protected]. By Janai 'Grandma Boom' Mestrovich DailyTidings.com By Janai 'Grandma Boom' Mestrovich Posted Oct. 24, 2014 @ 2:45 pm » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2014 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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