Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort & Joy by Sarah Ban Breathnach Susan's Thursday morning note May 13, 2010 (Humerous poem of a woman sighing)
Good morning! Do we dare hope to see some sunshine today? It’s amazing what I was able to accomplish in the lightening flashes this week in the middle of the night. Goodness….for the sake of our little corn sprouts – I hope the sun remembers Nebraska exists this week!
This week. Graduations. Preschool. Kindergarten. Elementary School. Middle School. High School. College. Graduate School. Weddings. Kids coming for the summer. Kids leaving. Life. Constant…. Mother’s Day. Memories. Children playing. Friendships. Marriage. Work. Quiet mornings. Busyness. Unknowns. Letting Go. Constants. Change. Not to mention…the dryer full of laundry to fold, the kitchen with dishes needing washed, the book wanting so badly to be read on the table, and the little one that thinks I should come up with another breakfast this morning for him. The bed needing to be made, the shower needing to be washed, the flowers needing to be noticed, the refrigerator needing to be washed from a shrimp smell, the cabinet that has things fall on me when I open needing my attention, and did I mention – the flowers that I need to watch grow? The birds singing for my attention. The beautiful calm in the trees asking me to sit under them for a moment. The friends I need to write back. The elderly woman I love I need to go visit. Oh, and the cupcakes for Camden’s summer birthday to bring this week. (Camden just read this and said I’m too late for the cupcakes!) Oh, and did I forget to mention the cats needing loved? And breakfast needing cooked….and backpack needing found….and again noticing the flowers? (grin) Oh, and prayer for a beautiful sick friend of Camden’s.
The constant mix of everything in our heads. And – to do this without anyone knowing there is more than one thing at a time on our “list”? I’ve got to put an entry for you that I absolutely love. This comes from another treasure I hope you get soon for your shelf, or if you’re a man – for a girl or woman’s shelf that you care about! Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy by Sarah Ban Breathnach. The entire book gives daily inspirations divided by topics for each month (another book that was recommended to me by one of you!). A particular weakness of mine is to not be able to stick with the correct date assigned that I’m “supposed” to read & venture further ahead or look back to what I might have missed. But – this particular weakness gives me what I need for a certain day – regardless of the date in the book for the entry. How I love this one! Here is to all of us with a need to sometimes sigh to get energy for the next moment! (grin)
Sigh Some More, My Ladies, Sigh Some More by Sarah Ban Breathnach I have a habit that drives my husband crazy and keeps me sane. I sigh. Obviously, I sigh more than I am consciously aware. Yet I've noticed that whenever my sighing is brought to my attention - "Please don't do that" - I'm taking deep breaths for a very good reason. Women sigh so that we won't scream. There are several occasions in the course of any woman's day when, without question, screaming is the appropriate response. However on this side of an electrified fence, screaming is not considered good form. So we sigh. First we breathe in, quickly and sharply, inhaling reality, acknowledging the present situation - the current hassle or disappointment, confrontation or challenge, long wait or lack of cooperation. We hold our breath for a heartbeat. Then we breathe out, slowly and deeply, exhaling and letting go of our initial response - our dismay, impatience, frustration, annoyance, disappointment, regret. Letting it out. Letting it go. The act of sighing is a quiet vote of acceptance - of "getting over it" and moving on. Women with significant others and/or children sigh more than their solitary sisters because there are more preferences, needs, wants, wills, and demands to be dealt with, if there is to be a state of detente in the daily round. More bending in order not to break. So should you feel the need to sigh today, by all means breathe slowly and deeply. Breathe expressively. Think of sighing as the hot air that makes rising to the occasion possible. Hot air that's pent up will eventually explode, and steam can burn. But steam that's deliberately allowed to escape through a safety valve can be converted into creative energy. So sigh without hesitation. Sigh without guilt. Sigh without embarrassment. Sigh with pleasure. Sigh some more, my ladies, sigh some more.
Isn’t that fun! Go, pick up those kids, or let go of your kids…whatever particular movement of your song you’re in – know that each movement is what makes your particular life composition beautiful. All movements in a classical piece – the sad, the beautiful, the slow, the fast, the minor notes in pain, the trills in the excitements…all make our songs. Our composer has the writing of our soul’s music created to be a beautiful song. We may only be able to see the particular movement that we’re presently in…but always know – our composer sees the entire song. And when the piece closes – we will see how each movement worked together to bring glory to the composer. Our song. Our epitaph tonight for our moments today…will we have something to write that shows we stopped. We were still in the midst of any rush. We sighed. We continued. We made the occasion possible. We gave. We looked others in the eyes. We looked to the hills. We remembered that we can claim always, “The peace that passes even our own understanding will never pass away,” – regardless of what our story is at the moment. Live. Breathe. Sigh. Look up. Fall to your knees. Notice the flowers. Appreciate the rain. Thank you so much for letting me enter your world again today. How much your encouragement means to me. Life is so fast. Let’s make our songs beautiful and worthy of what we can really be. Susan
Latin for this week: Volventibus annis - With the years rolling on, As time goes by.
Works Cited:
Breathnach, Sarah Ban. Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy. 2005. Grand Central Publishing. New York.