I love it when I see the signs saying just breathe. It’s my constant reminder these days. Have you ever consciously realized how many times a day you stop breathing? Be it fear, joy, anxiety, amazement…we hold our breath without realizing it. Whenever I was in a situation where negativity is happening, I realized I was holding my breath, which in turn was causing my body to tense. Anxiety, fear and anger were the end result of a constant cycle and it was damaging me in more ways than one. Turn on the news and watch your anxiety levels rise. It’s no wonder so many people are ill. Negativity is surrounding us.

An essential part of my yoga practice is connecting my breathing with the movements and reactions of my body. Inhale the good, exhale the bad…inhale the positive and exhale the negative. I attend guided yoga classes three to four times a week, besides my personal practice at home. For me, it works. I’ve learned that for one hour a day, nothing penetrates the peacefulness I find in my practice. But I learned I needed more.

For the last few weeks, I’ve been using the breathing techniques from my yoga practice all day. When I’m working and the conversation goes strongly political, rather than argue…I concentrate on my breathing. By slowing my breaths and remaining silent, I’m preventing the negativity from invading my body. It’s not perfect and I need a lot of practice but I have to say, it is helping.

What we are living through right now, Covid, the violence, the suspicion and the political upheaval, It’s wrong on every level. I refuse to call it the new normal. Think about it, we’ve lived through so much and made it through. Think of the sixties and all the protesters, the plagues and the pandemics that happened before we even had a name to call it. Vietnam, the Gulf war, Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan. The Oklahoma bombing, 9/11, the Boston Marathon bombing. Just in my lifetime alone, we’ve crawled through tough times.

What I always remembered is the way people came together and helped each other. Maybe my world was different but I never asked if someone was republican or democratic. I didn’t pay attention to the color of their skin or what church they went to. I didn’t ask bank account info or where they were born. I saw others who needed what I could give. I didn’t think twice, ask a bunch of questions or analyzed the situation to death… I reached out and helped in any way I could. We need to get back to that. We need to bring back the kindness.

People are scared. They’re angry and confused and they are lashing out. But does more violence help? The looting and the vandalism hurts the neighborhoods, the families who shop there and the people who’ve spent their lives building a dream. It’s not hurting Corporate America. It’s not hurting the crooked political government. It’s hurting all of us, the little people trying to survive. We need a different way.

There was a soda commercial when I was a kid with all these people walking hand in hand singing. I think we all need a reminder of the words to that song

I’d Like To Teach The World To Sing (In Perfect Harmony)
The New Seekers

I’d like to build the world a home
And furnish it with love
Grow apple trees and honey bees
And snow white turtle doves
I’d like to teach the world to sing
In perfect harmony
I’d like to hold it in my arms
And keep it company
I’d like to see the world for once
All standing hand in hand
And hear them echo through the hills
For peace through out the land
(That’s the song I hear)
I’d like to teach the world to sing
In perfect harmony
I’d like to teach the world to sing
In perfect harmony
I’d like to build the world a home
And furnish it with love
Grow apple trees and honey bees
And snow white turtle doves
I’d like to teach the world to sing
In perfect harmony
I’d like to hold it in my arms
And keep it company
I’d like to see the world for once
All standing hand in hand
And hear them echo through the hills
For peace through out the land

Just think about it. Small acts of kindness go a long way and to be honest, we need all the help we can get

XOXO. Sidney

.

I can remember thinking I would never make it to sixty. It seemed like some mythical number off in the distance. Of course, back then, everything in life was hard. I worked hard, I played hard, I was raising my little girl all on my own and I remember thinking every day ‘I’m tired’. It was also a time when I looked at my grandparents and foolishly thought sixty was old. Let’s fast forward that constant moving time machine….sixty is far from old

At sixty, I’ve learned a lot things, wisdom I wish I could have embraced in my twenties and thirties. But here’s the thing, wisdom, really great wisdom, is rarely understood or followed when we are young. We need to walk through a little (or a lot) of hell to truly understand the wisdom.

My younger me had to pack thirty-six hours into a twenty-four hour day, seven days a week. I had do do everything right away. I was afraid to miss anything going on, everything had to be perfectly right all the time. I rarely went to bed before midnight, if I was lucky. Now, I’m content with a good nights sleep and nap in a sunny place on a beautiful day, and a good book. The work, the phone calls, the cleaning, the laundry? It will get done in due time. Our children grow up fast. They don’t need us later, they don’t need to hear in a minute or tomorrow. They need us now while they want to spend time with us. Parents too. If you are blessed to still have your parents with you as I am, take the time with them, listen to their stories. I love hearing about their youth and the history of their lives.

My younger me collected too many things. The house, the cars, the toys, closets full of clothes and shoes, the latest and greatest gadgets. So much stuff…too much stuff. Now, I treasure simplicity. I can’t relax when there are too many things around me. I’ve spent the last year letting go of a large portion of this stuff. I’ve decluttered, sold or donated so much and I still have a ways to go. I’m having fun repurposing treasures I’ve rediscovered. It’s amazing what a bit of paint and a sander will do to what I used think of junk. The old jeans I’ve kept in the back of my closet all these years? Some funky fabric and the art of embroidery, which my mom taught me when I was a kid, have created a masterpiece.

My younger me blindly believed the family and friends I love would always be there. I’ve cried so many tears learning the hard truth on this one. I thought I have time…lots of time but the reality is, life can change in an instant, in the blink of an eye everything you hold so dear can change. I could be sharing a glass of wine and some laughter one night and the next day? My friend is gone forever. Accidents, unexpected illness, it happens to all of us. I hate goodbyes. I always have, but it happens. Every day is precious. Every laugh, every hug and every story shared…is a gift. Don’t throw it away. Work will always be there, but family and friends may not.

My younger me worried so much about how I looked, the weight I gained or lost, was I dressed right for the occasion… I worried about other people’s opinions of me and did I fit in, was I good enough, smart enough, pretty enough. Would I ever meet the right guy, find love again and settle down. I stressed over so many things that really didn’t matter. Now, when I look back, I have to laugh. At sixty? I honestly don’t give a damn. I am who I am and it you don’t like it? It’s not my problem. Your opinion of me isn’t my business. I work hard, I take care of myself so I can do the things I dream of. To me, a few wrinkles and grey hairs are a beautiful story waiting to be told. I’m too busy living my life and loving those I choose to be a part of my world, than to worry what others think.

Life isn’t a race. I don’t need to cross a finish line or finish everything I start. Life is about living. It’s takes many of us years to figure that out. Experiences and people matter so much more than things. When I look back over the last sixty years, I have few regrets and lots of wishes and dreams. The biggest thing I would have changed was time wasted over things that really didn’t matter. My biggest lesson was learning to trust that little voice inside my heart telling me when to go for it and when to let go.

My life has been a journey, an amazing journey filled with wonderful people and incredible experiences. I’ve experienced heartache and pain from the loss of so many loved ones over the years. Yet those I’ve loved are in my heart everyday. My mind is a movie projector of memories. I can close my eyes feel the presence of the ones who have moved on. I’ve had adventures and lived dreams that many haven’t been able to experience. My life has been a blessing in every possible way.

The beauty of it all…is it isn’t over yet. Turning sixty doesn’t mean I’m getting old, it means I am looking at life in a different way. No matter what is happening around me, I choose not to live in fear. I have sixty years of learning and I have faith. My dream is to be able to make a difference in the lives of those around me. To make their worlds shine a little brighter in some way. God has a plan for me and he isn’t done with me yet. That little voice inside of me is still talking.

XOXO……

Sidney

Be the change you want to see happening around you. Live your dream, it’s never too late