Just Breathe

Breathe in.

It hurts, I know.

You feel the pain pulsing in your rib cage, spilling over the edges of your day and pooling at the bottom of your gut.

Breathe out.

It hurts to stay in the pain long enough to gain understanding.

It’s scary and dark here, but if you wait a minute or two, the darkness will give way to a single flicker of light in the recess of your thoughts.

Breathe in.

You see it, don’t you?

It’s small, but all the darkness in the world can’t conceal it. Darkness has no fighting chance against the light.

Breathe out.

There. Feel how the tension leaves your shoulders. It feels good to let things go.

I know. Not all of it is gone.

Breathe in.

You still feel an aching in your chest, still feel memory pricking your brain, but remember where you were before. You’re not there anymore.

Breathe out.

You’re not in the weeks that followed. You thought it was over then, but you’re still here. Still breathing. Heart beating. Life is moving on.

Breathe in.

Winter didn’t last forever and now Spring is right around the corner and the flowers have already begun to bloom.

Breathe out slowly.

You will be okay.

You are worth being well.

You woke up again and again, and no, you didn’t always make it out of bed but today, you did. Today you found your voice.

Breathe in.

Today you did not cry.

You went outside and felt the cool breeze around your shoulders and through your hair.

Breathe out.

Today you turned your face toward the sun and felt it warm your skin.

Your hair smelled of florals and your air smelled of hope.

Breathe in.

You are beautiful.

Thank you for not giving up.

Thank you for remembering that our story is not over;

Yours Truly,

You.

Just breathe.