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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 Day of the undead: Thousands pack downtown Ashland Oregon Climate proposes carbon cost be redistributed Swing Tree Brewing Company More than health at stake in GMO debate, speakers say Police Reports Education And the winners are ... Ashland students Marketta Gregory: Stretch yourself for God Every minute counts, so make punctuality a habit Helman students illustrate kindness, love SOU's 'Count Me In' campaign raises $210,000 Environment Oregon Climate proposes carbon cost be redistributed 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 Business Swing Tree Brewing Company Shenandoah Living Funerals Will TV makeover do the trick for Mystic Treats? 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Grizzlies drop-kick Eagles Southern Oregon University Grizzlies roar into playoffs with rout of Eagles Raiders move up to No. 5 in Top 25 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 Opinion Latest Stories Our View: Preparing for the worst Herb Rothschild: Tell us how they vote Granlund cartoon: Election winners Frank Talk: Power to the people Philip Maddocks: Unapologetic Christie frees God from Ebola quarantine Editorial Our View: Preparing for the worst Our View: Divestment is just a gesture Our View: Keeping the lid on Other Views: Help for Oregon's forests Our View: The Hills are alive Letters Letters to the Editor, Oct. 24 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 23 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 21 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 21 Letters to the editor Guest opinions Herb Rothschild: Tell us how they vote Guest Opinion: Oregon poised to mandate GMO labeling Guest Opinion: Three ways to take action against carbon pollution Guest Opinion: An aristocracy of the people Teaching the First Amendment Revels Latest Stories Q&A: The John Dough Boys Spookadelic Halloween Funktacular promises a lively dance party Best bets for things to do around Ashland Listings for Varsity Theatre and Ashland Street Cinemas 'I'm in this for the love' Theater New plays debut at ANPF Music Best bets for things to do around Ashland The Farr Side: On ‘1989,’ Taylor Swift lightens up 'I'm in this for the love' Repertory singers prepare 'powerful' opening concert Q&A: Broken Down Guitars Visual Art Movies Movie review: ‘Nightcrawler’ delivers on creep factor Christopher and Jonathan Nolan go ‘Interstellar’ Listings for Varsity Theatre and Ashland Street Cinemas 'St. Vincent' is a revelatory experience Movie review: ‘Whiplash’ hits high notes Food and Drink Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories Woman hospitalized in Milwaukie for Ebola testing Lloyd Garver: Let the dogs out Frank Talk: Power to the people First thing to do is solve the 84th problem Kent Bush: Sometimes technology and stuff won’t save you Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs NEWS NOW Our View: Preparing for the worst ... Herb Rothschild: Tell us how they vote ... Woman hospitalized in Milwaukie for Ebola testing ... Our View: Preparing for the worst ... Herb Rothschild: Tell us how they vote ... Woman hospitalized in Milwaukie for Ebola testing ... 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 • First thing to do is solve the 84th problem • 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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