Just a Breath Away

     From the moment of our birth to the moment of our death, the breath marks the journey of our lives. On an intellectual level, I have always known this but the full reality of this truth recently came literally crashing down on me, or I should say I came crashing down on it. One minute I was sitting in a nice comfortable chair and the next I was flat on my face on a cold hard cement patio. I had been called away from my bliss and contentment asked to cross the patio and speak to someone on the phone. On the way, my foot encountered a rather tall pipe next to the walk and down I went. I do not remember what went through my head as I struck the ground but I do remember the breath I took just before the impact. Yes Matilda some of us do have to be hit over the head to get the message that each moment counts. I spent the next five hours in the emergency room cradling my broken hand and contemplating the power of that breath and that moment.

     Since the fall nine weeks ago I have lived with a physical reminder of the difference a moment can make. When my hand hit the cement and broke, life changed and what has become clear to me is that change is always just a moment, just a breath away. In the time it takes to breathe in and out, the moment comes, lingers for a bit and then passes away. The power of that split second of lingering is astounding.

     With each breath we take, new air fills our bodies with elements essential to continued functioning. When we exhale, we expel what is no longer useful to us. As each moment of our lives come and go we are offered the opportunity for new beginnings and to release what is no longer useful to us. The key is to remain aware of the moment and the power it holds.

     Breathing is automatic, done without thinking, scarcely noticed. We even do it in our sleep. The breaths come and go fleeting moments ignored and unobserved. The difference between being asleep and awake, unconscious and conscious, dead and alive is just a breath away. We have a choice. We can live our life on automatic allowing the breath to come and go without notice or we can choose to become observant no longer overlooking the moments. We can choose to turn off the cruise control and once again take full control of our lives.

     So what does it mean to take full control of our lives, what about all the stuff that just happens to us that we have no control of? While we may not control the actions of others, we do have control over how we react to the situations that confront us. We can choose to react to a given situation or we can choose to act in a way that is positive and productive. We can choose to respond to difficult circumstances with anger, resentment and an attitude of victimization, which keep us mired in our suffering, or we can choose to acknowledge that there is much to learn from difficult times and move forward. We can choose to shelter ourselves in a cocoon of depression and self-pity or we can remain open and aware, observant and receptive to the gifts the universe has to offer us in each moment. The choice is ours, the power is ours all we need do is let go of our old habits that stall our momentum and prolong our suffering.

Change is always just a breath away!

Blessings

Sheila