Don’t Forget to Breathe

We’re soon coming to the end of 2020. We’ve fought windmills — seen and unseen. And while the entire year felt like a losing battle, I’m confident that we came closer to learning more about what we’re made of. That’s a win, dear friends.

Tomorrow is not promised, so make sure to celebrate the small moments where joyful light seeps in. Perhaps that moment comes in the form of a letter from a friend or a phone call? Or then again, through a kind word from a stranger? Whatever shape it takes, know that you’re deserving of that small joy.

Today, I wish to tell you about one such moment that came to me in the form of a decades-old memory. It envigorated me then, and reliving it as I sit here writing about it to you made me aware of the energy coursing through me– nothing short of amazing.

Don’t forget to breathe!

…

Hey, everyone needs a little reminding sometimes.
Just as you cannot see when you have something stuck
between your teeth, sometimes you might not realize
the shallow fault in something as essential as breathing.

This is my story.

…

God gave me two adorable little boys to raise. My mother got six. When I was still a new mother, ecstatic but sleep-deprived, my wise mother came to visit me in Japan.

I was doing everything right. Instinctively. Behaving all grown up and all but my mother saw right through me– how I struggled to keep up after my one-year-old.

It was then that she offered me that simple piece of advice.

“Selma,” she said, “don’t forget to breathe.”

“As if…” I replied. “Chill, Mom!” It was the 1990s, and I was ready for the challenge of running after little feet. Besides, that advice — breathe…? Seriously?

I was already breathing; had been doing so since 1962. I was experienced– in breathing. I didn’t need Mom to tell me to do that! But I obeyed as it was the perfect advice I needed then.

…

What about you? Can you use such a reminder today? If so, here are a few wise quotes about breathing:

“Learn how to exhale; the inhale will take care of itself.” ~Carla Melucci Ardito

“Breathe. Let go. And remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure.”~Oprah Winfrey

“What can we do but keep on breathing in and out, modest and willing, and in our places?”~Mary Oliver

“Breathe in deeply to bring your mind home to your body.”~Thich Nhat Hanh

“There is one way of breathing that is shameful and constricted. Then there’s another way; a breath of love that takes you all the way to infinity.”~Rumi

“Fear less, hope more; eat less, chew more; whine less, breathe more; talk less, say more; hate less, love more; and all good things are yours.”~Swedish Proverb

“It’s funny, but you never really think much about breathing. Until it’s all you ever think about.” ~Tim Winton

…

Don’t forget to breathe– deep inhales.
Do it right where you are now.

Credits: Breathing – Image by silviarita from Pixabay

THANKS FOR READING
Happy Holidays
I Wish You Miracles.

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Selma Martin

I’m a simple woman who dares to see the beauty in ordinary. I’d love to connect with you and like pen pals, I want something beautiful to blossom between us. Will you join me? Selma is my middle name. Its meaning—peaceful, complete, are euphoric affirmations I like to think of myself as having. They compliment the joy I feel when I write. I sincerely hope you decide to join me on my writing journey. I Wish You Miracles.

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