“HOLD YOUR BREATH” –– A REFLECTION ON THE TEMPORARY

Keep breathing. Keep pulling air in. And keep pushing it back out. 

Our whole life is made up of these little breaths. One thing I’ve been thinking about lately is how we can’t hold onto our breath for very long. We have to breathe out. Not just in our lungs, but in our lives. 

Most of us know what it feels like when we don’t want a moment to end. A few more seconds of that meal, of that date, of that laugh. “Just a few more seconds, please. Don’t end.” And while this is a fantastic sign for us to pay attention to as proof that we are living a rich life, it is not possible to listen to simply because everything has to end in this life. And that’s ok. One of the best ways to reckon with that that I’ve found is in the power of breathing out. 

When was the last time you tried to hold your breath for a while? Let’s try it together. Ready? Deep breath in… and go. Pretty easy to do right now right? How about now? Still easy? Give it enough time and your chest will start thumping. Your head starts to get fuzzy. The pressure starts to build behind your nose and mouth. You can probably read this much faster than you can run out of breath, but notice what it feels like to not let a breath out, to not let go. And whenever you’re ready, let it go.

That’s what can happen in our lives when we don’t let go of our moments… when we don’t let things leave… when we hang on forcibly. We were designed to let most things come and go in and out of our lives, just like our breath. 

There’s this William Blake poem I love that puts this all into words in a way only a good poem can. It reads:

He who to himself bends a joy,

Does the winged life destroy.

But he who kisses a joy as it flies,

Lives in eternity’s sunrise. 

So breathe out. Let things leave when it’s time, grateful for their presence in your life, and let that departure make space for whatever breath is ready to make its way into your life next.