The moments that we breathe in

To breathe. Most commonly defined: to take air, oxygen, etc., into the lungs and expel it; inhale and exhale; respire.

Most overlooked definition: to live; exist

Breathing is an experience for me. I breathe in moments.

I breathe so that my soul can take part of the smells, sights, emotions, temperatures, and memories of what is going on around me.

I walked home today with purpose. The wind blew my flower earrings against my face. The movement of my unbuttoned coat matched the dynamics of the wind. And I breathed. In.....then out. The warm sweet air filled my lungs and calmed my soul. I took in that moment.

I was taking in the moments of the day. I was allowing my insides to rest of the internal torment I put it through everyday. I let myself live today.

I chose to walk down the stairs that are closest to the duck pond instead of the stairs that almost directly lead me to my home. Why? Because I wanted to breathe in the trees around me, the students making their way to class, the broken cement by the handrails, and the wet-discolored leaves lying on the walk way. I wanted the moments that these particular stairs could offer me. I wanted the memories, the feelings of independence, surety, and most importanly, the feeling that once again I was part of the picture.

The picture depicting the girl who decided to live today. The girl walking down the stairs with those pink rimmed glasses while wearing a wine colored peacoat who had decided to breathe in the life that was around her. She was learning, growing, and trying to make a difference in the lives of others.

Today....that girl was me. I was in the picture today. I lived.....I breathed. I became the moments and the moments became me.

In the words of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

" Let us then labor for an inward stillness,

An inward stillness and an inward healing,

That perfect silence where lips and heart

Are still, and we no longer entertain

Our own imperfect thought and vain options,

But God alone speaks in us, and we want

In singleness of heart, that we may know

His will, and in the silence of our spirits,

That we may do His will, and do that only"