Just Breathe

Yes, I understand that every life must end,
As we sit alone, I know someday we must go,
Oh I'm a lucky man, to count on both hands
the ones I love,

Some folks just have one,
yeah, others, they've got none,

Stay with me,
Let's just breathe.

Practiced are my sins,
never gonna let me win,
Under everything, just another human being,
Yeah, I don't wanna hurt, there's so much in this world
to make me bleed.

Stay with me,
You're all I see.

Just Breathe, Pearl Jam

Why the cowboy picture? Longer story than you'd think. Short version is the film 'Buck.' Haven't seen it? Find a way. Don't like horses? Neither did I. Someday I'll get around to posting a few ways Buck's story influenced my life for the better. For today, the connection to Buck is the song that plays during the ending credits, Just Breathe by Pearl Jam.

Recently I noticed what a gift it is to simply breathe. After going to yoga for years I've heard the instructor over and over encouraging 'keep your breath' 'remember your breath' 'appreciate your breath.' all it began to sound like is "blah blah blah"...right? Wrong. After a night class that was equally exhausting and rewarding I opened my eyes during our meditative portion of class (I'm a cheater, sue me). I looked up to see my teacher cradling her pregnant belly with both arms and head bowed. Yeah, doesn't sound like anything too life changing but it made an impression on me. Instead of going through the motions of Yoga, finishing class, and getting on with her life - something I have done far too many times - she wanted to connect with something more important than anything else to her at that moment. Someone she's never met. She took the time to just breathe.

Why didn't I appreciate something so simple? Why don't I find gratitude in the easiest ways? It seems many get caught up in 'searching for blessings' or things to be thankful for. Prayer isn't a time where you fold your arms, nod your head down, and vocalize the things you're supposed to say. It's a chance to connect with something greater. I found a definition that called prayer "volitional rapport to a god or spirit through deliberate practice." I've made it a point to deliberately practice gratitude concerning things I take for granted (many, many things) then I can begin to expand. First on that list - Breath.

Take a minute. Hit the lights. Breathe. You might find something in yourself you've never realized. I did.