Breathe.

The other day, as a fire engine drove by, sirens blazing, I thought of my older brother, who is a firefighter.  The guys on the trucks always look a mix of weathered, green, nonchalant, & scared sh*tless.

So I instant messaged him.

“Always wondered: What are you thinking when you’re on the truck, on your way to a fire?”

His response was simple: “Breathe.”

He continued, “Slow your breathing down.  Settle down or you will blow through a bottle of air in no time and you don’t want to look like a b*tch.”

Heh.  Makes sense, but I probably would never have thought that.

***

One of the strongest memories I have of my father during the days following my sister’s death was him trying desperately to hold in the tears, hugging me, then separating long enough to look me in the eye & advise, “Breathe.”

Deep breaths were (& still probably are) my dad’s most prevalent coping method.  They got him through the worst days of his life & several since.  They were the wisdom he passed down to me, his grieving daughter.

Heh.  Common sense, but I probably would never have come up with that.

***

When working out to a trainer or exercise DVD, one frequent reminder articulated is one easy word: Breathe.

Seems that in the midst of strenuous activity, the one thing we need most to do is the one thing we seem to have to remember to do.

Heh.  Think you’d know that, but I’ve caught myself forgetting more times than I care to admit.

***

So it comes as no surprise then, that when I am witness to someone else during a time of great pressure & stress, the one thing I can honestly say that I know will help is … Breathe.

I do it for my bosses who have the weight of a couple worlds on their shoulders.  I do it for my friends who call me with squeaky voices, with muffled voices, with long-run-on-sentences voices.  I even do it for my dad after he lost his mother, in a sort of full circle moment.

But sometimes, just sometimes, there are times when I have to remind myself.

Remind myself to …

Breathe.

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