Did you know that the average human being breathes in and out between 17,000 and 30,000 times a day? And we do it without even thinking most of the time.
A wise friend of mine and I have been commiserating a lot lately, working our way through some pretty intense projects at work. Solving the world's problems one day at a time, we like to say. And there's truth in that, and truth in the fact that sometimes you just have to breathe in and then breathe out. And let it all go.
Let go of the fear and the frustration and take that deep breath that clears your mind and helps you make sense of it all.
As a working mom, when I come home at night, I have to switch gears from work mode to mom mode and it's not always easy. It's tough to be on my game as their mom when my brain is mental mush after thinking hard all day. So, I breathe in, and then I breathe out. And I do my best to let that go.
Then there are days with my boys where I just feel like I can't get through to them and I wish I was at the office, where at least there I feel confident and in control. So, I breathe in, and then I breathe out. And I do my best to let that go.
Sometimes, the deepest breaths are those I take when the wonderful things happen. Jacob brings me coffee in bed on a lazy Saturday morning...breathe in, breathe out. Ryder grabs my hand when we are out for a walk, for no reason at all....breathe in, breathe out. We spend a fun family night together and actually have a conversation about meaningful things....breathe in, breathe out.
As I take those deep breaths in and let them out, I am acutely aware of my imperfect path in this life. Some days I feel on top of it all, and other days I have no idea how I ever survived this long.
And I pray that I have many more years of breathing in and breathing out...and enjoying this wonderful, amazing, painful, terrifying, confusing, beautiful life.