“Let’s all take a breath.” The mind never said.
The mind can’t take a breath to save its life. The mind hyperventilates in a corner. The mind gets stressed about everything until it needs a paper bag to breathe. “But what about this thing I have to do…” The mind gasps through the bag, “I have this thing, and that thing, and that other thing. I have homework, laundry, and sweeping to do! I gotta fix this thing, and her relationship, and save the world from hunger, and poverty, and world destruction. If I don’t keep all these balls in the air, and understand everything, then who is going to do it? I can’t…take…a break. There’s no time…for…air!” The mind pants, and heaves.
“Let’s all take a breath.” The heart never said.
The heart can’t take a breath, even when it feels indifferent. The heart feels up and down faster than one can snap their fingers. Emotions fly like a flock of birds and drops like a rock plummeting to the bottom of the ocean. The breath is lost as these intense feelings scatter across the spectrum. “I’m too anxious” The heart says, “And too sad. I’m too hyper and overwhelmed and tired. This thing is too hard, and that thing is not fair, and those people seem to be able to do both things with ease. Why can’t I do it all? I feel foolish when I cry, but too angry not to cry. I could fill buckets with my tears, and break walls at the same time. I was better off as a child. I’m not good enough as an adult. I cry too much and do too little. How can one do it all and maintain a reputation as a standup citizen of adult life? It’s not possible. It’s not possible, and I don’t care to try, BUT I DO!! I do want to try. I want to be seen, and heard, and recognized. I want to do my part, and do something really cool. I want to look like a grown up and sound like one too. I wish I was a robot. That way I wouldn’t feel SO much and look SO stupid!” The heart cries and cries.
“Let’s all take a breath.” The body never said.
The body is too tense to take a breath. The body has filed too many complaints and has gone unnoticed for too long. It has taken up the hobby of talking to itself. Perhaps one day someone will hear. “My feet hurt.” The body says sitting on the bed, “And my back hurts. I should do something. I should focus on my alignment, and go get some exercise, but I just don’t feel like it. I should do a lot of things, but I just don’t feel like it. I should eat fruit and vegetables, but I just don’t feel like it. So I wait for instruction that will never come. I hate waiting. Nothing ever comes of waiting, but I don’t want to do anything. So here I sit…waiting. HELLO!!! IS ANYBODY LISTENING?? Oh whatever… it’s really a lost cause. Nobody cares. And you know, I don’t really care either. UGH! But I do because I’m so sore and tired and listless. Why must life require so much freaking effort!?”
“Let’s all take a breath” The soul says.
The soul pierces through the wall of many complains. The soul creates the silence needed for peace but it requires a great deal of strength to break through the noise.
The mind stops heaving through the paper bag. The heart whips its tears. The body stops monologuing and they all listen.
“Let’s all take a breath” The soul repeats, a little louder
The mind puts down the paper bag and tries to breathe steadily. The heart exhales out the last of the emotions and inhales slowly, repeating this gently the next several times. The body allows the stomach to have some leeway, it lets the shoulders release, and feels safe to breathe.
Each part feels safely, and lovingly held, as well as free, as the soul let’s itself be heard. “Keep breathing. Don’t stop breathing. You are not victims and you know it. We are a unit and governed by Divine Soul. We are fully functional and can do good in the world. Let’s all breathe into this beauty. Let’s breathe into the golden satisfaction of the work we want to do. Do you remember how it creates grounded thought, a happy heart, and a body put to good use? That is not lost, my friends. We are not lost. Let’s regroup. We are okay.”
Each part tries to complain, “But what about…”
“No.” The soul says, “You are okay. Press on. Keep breathing. Pick up your pen, write what is coming up, and then what do we really want to do? What steps can we take right now? Remember our true driver is Soul. Capital S. Lower case O. U. L. So let’s all take a breath. Time to get to work, my fellow co-workers. We know what we really want. Let’s do it for Soul.”