Remember to breathe

I spent this gray New England morning sitting at my kitchen table with my laptop, drinking several cups of java, while editing a piece for my NY Publisher (a great piece, soon to be published for Reader’s Digest).

It was a typical morning spent doing what I always do ( when I’m not writing or juggling other editing jobs). But this “final round” of edits,  this piece the publisher sent to me, made my morning different. It gave me a  kick…got me thinking…even made me cry…yes, I cried!..(at the end of the piece… it was that good).

I had one of those “Aha” moments, which I haven’t had in a while. In fact, I haven’t been feeling much in a while; that’s probably why I haven’t been posting on my blog. No “spark”…if you’re a writer, you know what I’m talking about. It’s that adrenaline rush you get when you have an idea that you just “have to” put on paper.

The last month I’ve been just going through the motions. I moved to a new house, busy with work, my kids, day to day…spinning the hamster wheel called my busy life…and with that attitude I’ve been forgetting to do what I love…write for me…and breathe.

So here I am, on my third cup of coffee, going through the manuscript and (this doesn’t happen often) I begin to be drawn in by what the author is saying. She’s a forty something successful pastor, teacher, mother, wife, friend and tragedy hit two years ago. She fell off her horse  in a riding accident and it left her with a serious, life altering brain injury. She wanted her old life back…at first (This is where “the kick” comes in).

No, I don’t ride horses, but I know what she meant by “wanting her old life back.” Who doesn’t get that? If you’ve lived long enough, you know that life is going to “shift” at any minute unannounced. Your equilibrium will be thrown off—you’ll be challenged to adjust—and if you resist changing to the “winds” that blew in and knocked you off your sail boat, you’ll end up depressed, cursing God, hating God, probably asking too many times (and no one is listening), “Why Me,God?”

Yep, this author had me hooked. I started to look at the piece as something I actually WANTED to read, not just read, edit and turn in to my publisher by noon today for the pay-check.

So there I was reading and being “drawn in”. Yeah, this lady had been dealt an unfair hand and her knee-jerk reaction was to complain, question why it happened to her, and miss her old life. She was resisting the changes that she had to make to begin living her new life to the fullest.

She said one thing in particular that created “spark”—what I haven’t felt in a month—that NEED to write it down, before I forget it…

She said that in time, she realized that she needed to accept what had happened and learn to embrace her new life, being thankful for all the blessings that came her way, because of the tragedy.

Blessings  came out of her tragedy? Really?

She said she had to be patient and wait. She admitted it wasn’t easy. She fought depression and had days where she wanted to quit. She had to dig deep and look long and hard for the good that was covered in muck. But she said these gifts, seen first as challenges, were always there.

Once she learned to “BE STILL”, “BE IN THE PRESENT”…she saw with clarity, felt better, even found joy…and she was grateful.

Her message was: Stop the damn hamster wheel and take care of yourself! The “To Do” list can wait. Breathe…you’ll feel better…What is important in this life?…Really think about it!…Is it on that “To Do” List that you hate?

How many times this week have you remembered to “slow down and breathe” and maybe put yourself and your needs first?

If you’re like most people, you haven’t really thought about it because you’ve been too busy. But what a great point this author made…Slow down…remember to breathe….the hamster wheel can spin with the wind for a while without you…Sit in the shade with your favorite drink and  give your feet a rest…you’ll feel better…yeah, that is important…more important than finishing item #10 on that 20 page “To Do” List.

So here I am, reading the manuscript and thinking… “Wow…This woman has suffered…she has lost…how unfair and sad…but look at her!…She’s not defeated…she’s stronger and she’s reaching out…she’s turning her tragedy into something grand…She is becoming MORE than what she was before…She’s changed…but for the better….At first, it didn’t seem like it…she missed her “old” self…but now…by remembering to “Be still” “Be in the present” “Understand what this life is truly about”…she has transformed into a better, wiser, kinder, more loving and intuitive person than who she was before… this tragic event…This “Fall” that put her life, her world into a tornado spin…it was the catalyst for becoming better…This trial, this struggle, this cursed event that “ruined” her life, didn’t ruin it at all…It MADE her life…It gave her a real purpose…one that needed to be shared ….And she’s grateful…

This event that she cried about, fought hard to fix (but it couldn’t be fixed in the way she wanted) was an opportunity in disguise…”When one door closes, there will be another door that will open” but it IS hell in the hallway (for sure) while you wait…but that is okay….wait, be still, stay in the present…and look for the good in the ugly…

So I just sipped my last swig of 8 am cold coffee and attached the finished doc to the publisher and sent it off. By this afternoon I’ll know when it’s ready for print (Hope to share the link with you when it’s live—it really is a great piece!).

I am still thinking about a woman I’ve never met and how she changed ME today. She lit a match under me that I needed to have lit.

I felt a “spark”, that reason to write that I haven’t had in a month… and here I am writing…what I love to do but never do for myself nearly enough… and I’m hoping this post had some meaning in your world.

No, you may never have an accident that causes life altering changes and adjustments. In fact, you may be so young that the worst thing that has happened to you so far is your high school sweet heart dumped you on Christmas Eve last year or maybe you just flunked your last College final…but the point is…none of that matters…Smile…Remember to breathe…

We all hit rough patches (some get hit harder than others); we all cry, get angry, swear up to the sky and ask “Why Me, Damn it?” But if we’re smart, we’ll slow down and see that in the end…our long list of chores should NEVER get in the way of remembering what is important in this life: Family, Love, Laughter and … Silence.

Being still…enjoying the solitude and  the present moment (not dwelling over yesterday or worrying about tomorrow–that only prevents us from enjoying the here and now).

This life is just too short to forget to do that.

Life is change...Will you change with it?

“Life is Change. Growth is Optional. Choose Wisely.”~ Karen Kaiser Clark

When life throws you off  course, would you change?

This author did…and is glad for it!

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