Do you ever do that? Do you ever take a moment to just stop, breathe and pause a minute?
I am guessing if you do, it isn’t often enough. In the rush and whirl of this world, at least in our Americanized world, it seems that everything is only spinning faster.
Can you do that for a moment? Here I will give you some of my writing space for it.
Slow. Down.
Breathe.
Don’t just grab a quick chug of H2O. Take it in slowly, maybe through your nose?
Now hold it a second or two… and then slowly let it seep back out. Release it.
Did you feel that? Did you feel anything? Just possibly did your shoulders lower even a fraction of a whisper? Did your mind let go of the million things you are doing, going to do, and need to do as you focused on the actual breath at hand? Just for a second did you feel a calm nothingness? A flickering sense of peace?
That’s the present. That’s the now. That was you just ‘being’ for a fleeting moment. You’re welcome.
I hope you felt that. If not, try it again; it might take a couple of tries. We aren’t used to this pausing thing.
Here is the deal. I don’t think we truly and deeply breathe enough. And by breathe, I don’t mean the unconscious action our bodies do every second to keep us alive. We need to breathe deeply and pause. Breathe deeply and settle into the here, the now — this wonder called life.
Breathe deeply and BE. I feel we are missing out on so much of what life has to offer us in the moment because we aren’t breathing deeply and pausing to see.
Most of us, mommas especially, are slowly suffocating in the busy and bustle that is a 21st century woman’s life. Busy equals life? I don’t think so. What makes us so busy, so constantly running, and so disconnected and weary?
Years ago I discussed an analogy with a friend that we were both treading water in the deep seas and it was all we could do to keep ourselves from sinking into the depths of life. We couldn’t help each other keep the other’s head above the water, but we did keep eye contact. That eye contact was enough in that season to help us both keep treading, gulping the air of connection when we could and push through, but we could not have survived a lifetime like that.
No one can.
Seasons will come when the unexpected happens, and you do have to tread for dear life. But all too often we extend those seasons by the choices we make and the expectations we put on ourselves. Is everything you are juggling, dribbling, and chasing absolutely necessary? Does any of it bring you, or the people around you, life — or does it suck from the already depleting reserves of who you are? Do you even know what all you are juggling and dribbling? I ask that because I realized over the years that some of the things I have juggled weren’t even intentionally or knowingly taken on, but rather leeched on from expectations I placed on myself. So I just want to leave you with a little encouragement that I feel maybe some of you may need to hear.
You deserve to fully take in and experience your life.
All you do is not who you are. You are so much more than what you do, and the people that really love you already know this and would cherish more of just you being YOU.
You are fully and absolutely ENOUGH (I know I say this a lot, but it never gets old or untrue) just as you are, created lovingly and intentionally by a God who is smitten with you no matter what you do or do not do. And He has filled this world with wonders and treasures just for you.
Your life is yours and it is so short. You don’t have time to waste it not being fully here while you are alive. So please…
Breathe deeply.
Is there a plate you can stop spinning? A ball you can stop dribbling? Can you find ways to take a moment to breathe deeply in your day — every day? We would love to hear what you find when you decide to try! Please share!
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