On the days when everything seems to go wrong and life feels like something that is happening to me and I am just a victim.
On the nights when I just want to scream into the darkness and punch pillows,
Tear down walls,
Set injustice on fire.
On the weeks when I have to constantly tell myself this too shall pass but the weeks feel endless nevertheless and they turn into months and the struggle never seems to end.
All those times,
One breath,
One touch,
One sound,
One tiny detail.
I exhale all the fire that burns in my belly and turn it into a warrior chant.
I place a hand on my body to remind myself I cannot contain the whole world around me.
I hum,
I hum in low tones,
Tones born in my throat,
Then my chest,
Then my core.
It's the hum of life,
Made of anger and misery and pleasure and joy.
I look at a distant star in the sky,
Then look at a crack on the stone wall or a blade of grass or the lines on the palm of my hand.
Then I remember how small everything is,
Including my problems.
Then suddenly there is just this moment,
This breath,
This one emotion or two or three and it's okay,
Even when it's not,
Because I am alive.
Perhaps you're having one of those days or nights,
Perhaps it's been weeks,
But right now you are here with me and there is no today or tomorrow,
There is only now.
So let's try this together.
One breath,
Just give me one breath,
Make it intentional,
Like it's the first breath you ever take.
One touch,
Reach your hand and touch something,
Focus on its texture and temperature,
The sensation on your fingertips as you stroke it,
The space between the object and your fingers.
One sound,
You can hear my voice,
But when I'm quiet,
What do you hear?
The sound of your own breath,
Some external noise.
What if you decided to hum with me?
There are melodies trapped within your body,
Waiting to be released.
All it takes is one tiny detail.
Look around,
See if you can find something you've never noticed before,
Something so small you haven't paid attention to it,
But it's there anyway,
It's always been there whether you could see it or not.
Our whole world is made up of tiny details.
And you are here in this brief moment in time,
Carrying few emotions inside of you,
But that is all there is,
That is all there is right where you are,
The only reality you need to focus on right now.
And it's okay even if it's not,
Because you are alive.
