Paradox

I just sat down in the middle of it.  No other response would do.

Breath.  Pneuma.  Ruach.

Have you ever been in a place where you felt like you could finally release the breath you’ve been holding forever and really fill your lungs with crisp, clean mountain air?  And at the same time, your breath is taken away - figuratively and literally?

That’s how it happened.  

Due to the 24/7/365 news cycle that had been wearing me down with each successive crisis, I felt like I was always holding my breath and waiting for the next story.  It’s not a healthy way to live.

Then I went to Glacier National Park for a photography seminar.  Our sunrise shoot was in a mountain meadow full of wildflowers.  There was a cold, glacial lake in view and craggy peaks surrounding us.  The spaciousness invited me to breathe.  Deeply.  I sat down, right in the middle of those blossoms bobbing in the cool morning breeze.

I was struck by the paradox of feeling like I could truly breathe and having my breath stolen by the glory of the morning. It occurred to me that living in Ohio and traveling to a place that was more than a mile above sea level might have actually taken my breath away too.

I celebrated being alive and lucky enough to wander in this inspiring place.  

Having no cell signal and no internet connection for a few days forced me to disconnect from the daily chaos, and I remembered what it felt like to breathe deeply.

Breathe.  

Just breathe.  

There’s glory all around.  ​

Breathe.