In case you don’t know it, I have walked through quite a number of wine aisles in my lifetime.

It seems I find some kind of peace there, and I’m always searching for a new taste. As I viewed the wine shelves, I spotted a white wine with a very appealing label. Hmmm, what’s this? Being unable to resist the temptation, I picked up the bottle and began reading.

The bottle’s label was a shade of white, and the name of the wine, printed in light green letters, was Serenity. Above the name was a light green swirl of lines that had the effect of drawing one into them. The label made me feel a sense of peace. That doesn’t often happen, and I couldn’t wait to sip the wine.

Upon further research — meaning tasting — it became obvious the wine is a blend. I guessed the blended grapes were Sauvignon Blanc, Rielsing and a Pinot Grigio. A teacher would’ve given me a score of 66% — I think that’s a failing grade, isn’t it? Well, let’s keep things in proportion!

Consequently, I discovered the wine is a blend of 65% Pinot Grigio, 19% Riesling and 16% Gewűrztraminer. The tartness of the Pinot Grigio was noticeable along with the minerality of the Riesling and the sweetness of the Gewűrztraminer. The blend was superb, and strangely, I felt serene.

I guess that’s good marketing, but upon further research, I discovered the wine is made by Brassfield Estate Winery (CA). The facility is located on Lake Serenity, and is traditionally a place of healing. Just reading those facts made me smile and feel relaxed.

Then, I wondered if one can only find serenity in a quiet place. That query was answered a couple of days later at a local concert featuring musicians playing some heavy pounding rock music from England.

The band’s name is BritPack, and they are really excellent. The crowd got into the music, and soon there was a fair amount of head banging going on around me — present head included — and lots of arm waving and even some dancing in the aisles. It was amazing! Then the band began to play a song that I couldn’t identify, but a strange feeling began to invade me.

Even with the heavy drum beats and all the loud guitar playing, I sensed an inner peace. Something about the melody made me focus on my feelings and I mentally floated away from the theater for a few seconds. I went to my old place of peace — the pasture hill where I grew up on the farm. I saw the flowers of the virgin prairie, the rocks on the hill and the sight of our family farm. Then … it was gone.

I came back into the rollicking crowd.

The whole experience got me thinking about where we find serenity, and I couldn’t believe my answer. We find it anywhere — we just need to be aware of it, welcome it and embrace it.

Over the years, it has been my good fortune to work with many wonderful people. I often wonder what happened to them, and how they are doing. Just a couple of days ago, I received a text from a long unseen friend. He was wondering if I was available to share a cup of coffee with him. His text brought a sense of surprise to me, but also a feeling of quietness.

Can I find time to share coffee with him? Darn right I can! We will soon have our long overdue reunion. Again, I realized there was peace in him sending me that text — our longtime connection will never be forgotten and that makes me feel serene.

I became more conscious of that inner sense of serenity as I enjoyed a Whiskey Stinger made of Redbreast Irish Whiskey and crème de menthe. The luscious whiskey mated well with the crème de menthe, and there was a feeling of tranquillity. It was like I was taking a hike along a forested walking path.

I want to thank Brassfield Estate Winery’s Serenity White Wine for giving me this fulfilling perspective on life.

May you always seek, find and enjoy your site of serenity.