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DAVID BENTLEY'S WEEKLY COLUMN |
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REMEMBER TO BREATHE
After a whole week of 10-hour days at work, I will be leaving on the 8 a.m. ferry for a three-day conference in Portland. My clothes still need to be laundered before I can pack. My hotel confirmation letter is in one of three stacks of papers on my desk. A friend is coming over to drop off some homemade goodies to take along for snacking, and I haven't eaten dinner yet. How will I ever be ready? As I try to decide what to do next and my mental state becomes more and more confused. I find myself going from spot to spot and room to room in a random sort of zig zag pattern. The harder I try to make headway on the tasks at hand, the less I get accomplished and the more frustrated I become. Suddenly, out of nowhere, the voice of my yoga instructor echoes in my head saying, "Remember to breathe." So I stop what I'm doing and sit in the floor to do some intentional breathing. As my breathing slows down and becomes full and relaxed, both my mind and body begin to relax as well. Before long it is clear that my next task is to eat dinner. A quick inventory of the refrigerator reveals a pork cutlet, a tomato, a zucchini, and a couple of small potatoes. I broil the cutlet with some dried rosemary from a friend's garden. The tomato and zucchini become a salad with some vinaigrette. The potatoes are boiled with a few cloves of garlic. In a matter of minutes I have prepared and eaten a lovely, nourishing meal. Now I'm writing my column while my clothes are washing. When they come out of the drier, I will still have time to pack and find the hotel confirmation letter before going to bed at the usual time. All I had to do was remember to breathe.
© 2006 David Bentley David Bentley, M.Ed. & Personal Coach, coaches clients through the game of life, helping them find balance, clarity of direction, and purpose in an ever-changing world. You may contact him at 360.378.8436 by e-mail at david@coachbentley.com or visit his Web site: www.coachbentley.com |
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SAN JUAN ISLANDER © 2008 |
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