Remember to Breathe

As I was hunting through old emails today for a message I was just SURE was there (and I found it!), I stumbled across this forgotten message my sister had sent me several years ago:

Remember to breathe.  Deeply.  Slowly.  Until you feel the unhurried
pulse of the sun and the earth and the moon and the stars.
Be at peace.
Be who you are.
Do what you can.

Breathe.
Slowly.
Deeply.
Slowly.
Breathe.

And smile.  It will help a little bit.

In the midst of my spinning workday, I stopped.
and took the time to breathe, slowly, deeply, just a few times
and something inside uncoiled and relaxed and let go.

In times of stress, I sometimes forget that it's not all on my shoulders.  I try to control it all.  Of course, in trying so, I manage to control nothing.

It's good to stop and remind myself that I can't control it.  I didn't cause it, I can't fix it.
Which frees me to do what I CAN do.

Breathe.
Slowly.
Deeply.
Slowly.
Breathe.