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Writer's pictureShirley Riga

Week 7 - Sitting in the Power

I Breathe


When I finally sit down and take time for myself, I hold my hands over my heart and feel deep gratitude for my awareness and my emotional heart that feels so much. I am always paying attention to my POV (point of view) recognizing where I put my attention is what I will focus on.


Yes, I am concerned for this fragmented world, the volatile political dilemma, the wounded environment, and the literal edge we are living on as life changes before our eyes.

I breathe and remember I am right here. I am safe. I am well. I am fed. I am whole. I am warm. I am sheltered. I feel love.


Some of you may remember several months back my news of a friend in our community who was hit by a landscaping truck while riding her bike, the accident appeared to be a fatality. Unbelievable devastating news that knocked both Thea and I off our feet. Our community held a collective gasp and we hunkered down for the worsening news. Somehow, she survived. Brain surgeries, coma, time, hope and prayer, months after the trauma, she is home with her wife. We visited her on Saturday, bringing them both fresh bread, crocheted hats for her shaved head, and support for the ensuing months of recovery.


We spent an hour and listened to them recount the harrowing aspects of their time in the hospital. We spent time observing the resilience of the human spirit fighting back to live. We spent time in wonder watching frustration and gratitude to be alive. We observed their love and support for each other. We spent time.


I am a true believer that traumatic circumstances in our lives break us open and we survive. Always, there are discoveries of miracles that emerge.


The greatest aspect of being human is having free will. We can choose what we do with our life’s lessons. Some people covet their pain and wear it like a costume exposing their pain and seeking solace in the form of attention to it over and over again. Others hold their pain before them and learn from their deep lessons, looking for the proverbial needle in the haystack that is truly the golden lesson on why they suffered so much, lost so much.


But life always comes back to our breath. I breathe and remember I am right here. I am safe. I am well. I am fed. I am whole. I am warm. I am sheltered. I feel love.


Our friend is standing, walking, talking, thinking, feeling, reflecting, and questioning. She is learning step by step to be alive, to think, to feel, to be.


I am deeply grateful for all my life lessons. My losses. My pain. My health challenges. These events are always cyclic – a beginning, a middle and an end. Sometimes the onset is a confusing mystery. Sometimes the middle feels unending, but the aspect of understanding can always be sought, even if there are no answers YET. They will come. And the ending always holds time for reflection. In the meantime, how important it is to be gentle and loving to oneself through the process of change.


I breathe and remember I am right here. I am safe. I am well. I am fed. I am whole. I am warm. I am sheltered. I feel love.


Photo credit - johannes plenio darklight

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