Just Breathe

Pause. Now, breathe. Start slowly with a good inhale. Then breathe out. Now do it again. And once more.

That’s my mantra each time I pick up the newspaper or listen to the news on the radio. I never know what is going to change, how I’m going to feel (well, right now I shift between, angry and helpless) and how I can deal with this reality.

So, I breathe.

And I do something else, every morning. About 5 years ago, Jaime, my daughter, gave me a little green leather journal. I decided, as I explained in my book, that I will sit down each morning and reflect on the day before. And I’ll jot down a few of the things that happened that day that made me smile.

It takes very little effort, because no one other than me is going to read my words. I don’t have to write neatly or worry about editing what I write, because everything I write is good to me! And I write absolutely NOTHING which is negative. That means each time I pick up that book and read a few lines, everything I see is happy. I cannot help but smile when read and remember those moments.

I only write a few lines and that’s it. And I write by hand, not in an online journal, because I sometimes slide photos or newspaper clips between the pages (and I think we spend enough time in front of a screen anyway).

Here are a few offerings from this past week:

I called Jaime and we just yakked and shared stories – and at the end of the call, she said “Thanks for calling Mum, love you”. My heart is full!!

Went on a wonderful hike with Marlene today – we laughed so much! And Isla stayed away from all dogs that she could have barked at!

My girl!

Had a great run in SUNSHINE today, while listening to the “Off Menu podcast” – started laughing so hard I had to stop, bend over and put my hands on my knees. Then someone pulled up next to me to make sure I was okay, which made me laugh even harder!!!

There are 3 reasons that I keep doing this:

1.        Because I put dates next to each entry, I can reflect on where I was, what else I was doing, and then wonderful memories course through my system and bring joy. One of my entries was when Julie and I were in Oregon hiking last summer. I wrote “When I saw Whitney’s smile, I knew I had a friend for life!” I met Whitney when I was up at the most wonderful Lodge at 58 North in King Salmon, Alaska. Whitney is a pal of Kate Crump at the Lodge, and she works at Cedar Creek Hatchery. Julie and I visited there one day, and Whitney decked us out in waders and warm clothes, and we climbed into a HUGE tank of enormous fish! We grabbed them (as directed by the remarkable staff), put them in a cage of sorts, then got to watch them being released into the ocean. Whenever I think of her smile, I think of how Whitney welcomed us to her workplace, surrounded us with great people, and then just enveloped us with her positive energy.  And I smile!

2.        Paul Simon sang “A Bridge Over Troubled Water”. That’s a bit how I think of my little journal. It can’t solve world hunger, but it can help to soothe my sore heart. The brief reminders of joy become a bridge that spans the chaos, torment and fear that we seem to be experiencing. I can still see and experience them, but I can also look somewhere else and remember joy.

3.        I always write in my journal while I have my morning coffee. Then the rest of the day, I consciously look for those moments of joy, and take the time to recognize them – and I always wonder - will this be the one I write about, or will something even more special happen? I saw a Carolina wren on my feeder this morning, and that was exciting. But I’m going walking with Lynn and Cooper later today and maybe something happy will happen there. You see, I’m always anticipating happy.

Right now, it is very easy to anticipate the negative. Imagine putting energy into anticipating the positive? Then capturing it, writing it down using as few words as possible, and then getting ready to do it again?

I think we all must arm ourselves with whatever works for us as individuals. This just happens to work for me and helps keep me on the path of joy. But give it a try, because it just might work for you, too!