If you stand on a high ledge, say about 70 feet, and look at the expanse of Lake Pend Oreille in north Idaho from the town of Sandpoint, you can see an almost limitless expanse of cool, clear water. Hazily off in the distance are the hills and mountains called the Selkirks. On most days, you see almost no people, maybe just a few sailboats lazily gliding on the silvery blue water.

This is a peaceful place. Many times a day, a freight train comes through town. It makes the ground tremble. Somehow, though, the strength of the train blends with the strength of the water, and above it, the endless light blue sky. Again, this is a peaceful place.

I have been spending the summers here for about 16 years now, as of 2009. In a world that often seems to be falling apart from fear and anxiety about money, this place represents peace. I feel the same way about the meeting rooms of a certain 12-step program I have been in for 20 years. Amidst all of the people and the wreckage of past lives, there is peace. There is a special kind of peace: reliance on God, surrender to God. This is what peace is all about: the knowledge that we are protected by God and His limitless power.

You see it materialized in north Idaho. You see it in the mighty Santa Rosa Mountains near Palm Springs. I first saw it in the redwoods and ocean vistas of glorious Santa Cruz, California.

You can have it inside you anytime you truly surrender to God. I hope and believe that if you carry the advice and experience I have collected within the pages of my new book, you will see it and feel it whenever you need it.

Life is difficult. It helps to be able to carry a little bit of north Idaho with you and see with the eyes of faith. But you can if you believe that God is protecting you and has a plan for your life. I respectfully hope that what I’ve presented in my book will tell you how to hear and follow that plan. I learned much of what is here from 12-step meetings. Much of it just came to me as I was looking out at Lake Pend Oreille.

There is peace here, and I hope you find it.

10 Thoughts on How to Not to Go Crazy

1. Here’s a good way to wake up: in gratitude for just being alive.
2. Much of life is a gray area. Get used to it.
3. Not every day will be a great day. An ordinary day is good enough.
4. Harboring resentment against someone is like taking poison and expecting someone else to die.
5. A good relationship with God is like air-condition for the soul. It cools down the craziness.
6. Sometimes the only thing you get out of doing the right thing is . . . doing the right thing.
7. If you’re bored, it’s probably because you’re boring.
8. When in doubt about how to get there, ask those who are there.
9. If you really want to change your mood, do a random act of kindness and tell no one.
10. Love is a verb, not a noun.