Breathe

Nashville, TN: In day one fashion, I had some friends over to ease into the new year (ain't nothin' like mimosas and mini quiche to show people how much I feel).




Along with a lot of laughs and some sweet (and some scary) new bathroom wall writings,


I somehow acquired an angel (which, believe me, will be regifted before this month's over -- you've been warned!).


But once the leftovers had been stored and the tree from '03 (still holding up!) had been put away, my mind could simply not rest. I had yet to come up with my new year's word of intention and it was something I HAD to do before I could truly move forward into the new decade.

Last year, in lieu of coming up with a list of resolutions that I would probably break before the month was up, my favorite paid pal suggested I come up with a single word that I could come back to throughout the year to re-center. A five-lettered mantra, if you will. She, in fact, came up with my word of intention for 2009, which was relax. In times of great stress or confusion, it proved to be a great go-to. But, the real times I noticed it helping out was when I was on the verge of making something a MUCH bigger deal than it needed to be. In the heat of the moment, in the counting to 10, in the 'I can't believe you would even say that!'... just relax.

So, here I am, on the verge of beginning the first week of the new year and still had nothing to show for it. I took a poll on facebook and got suggestions like "intention" and "twitter," so I knew I was on my own. I took a deep breath through my nose and let it out slowly. Then I took another one... and on that exhale, I realized what my word would be.

Breathe.

Not the British band (though I do love "Hands to Heaven"),

or the Faith Hill song,

but the actual act of inhaling oxygen into the body and exhaling carbon dioxide out of the body.

It seems so simple to do -- in fact, we do it without even realizing it for the most part -- but to be aware enough to stop doing for the moment and fill your lungs (and your entire mind, body & spirit) with the very thing that gives us life.

When I researched breathing, I found blogs to be most inspirational. From a woman in Western Pennsylvania, to a guy who writes for Boston's online magazine, to a kid who wrote in Spanish (and I'm not quite sure what it said but it was entitled "just be still and breathe") -- they all talk about the importance of this simple act.

My favorite blog comes from Zen Habits. You can read the full post HERE, but this is a good summary for my new decade reflection piece:
"If you are discouraged and have forgotten your purpose in life,
breathe.
It will remind you about how precious life is,
and that each breath in this life is a gift you need to appreciate.
Make the most of this gift."
Here's to a year full of deep breaths.....