JUST BREATHE – Ann Marie Ruby
Tonight, I want to send a positive message to all of you who need it. Stop worrying, panicking, stressing, terrifying, or tormenting, and just remember to breathe. Sometimes, the human mind, body, and soul need a break from the hardships of life and need to just breathe. I had to take a break after my beloved fur baby boy, Patches Ruby, passed away due to old age. Life goes on with a heavy and sorrowful heart. I adopted Moo Patches Ruby when he was a few weeks old. He became my healer. He kept me busy and with his naughty, cute, and furry face, he kept the memories of Patches alive as he began to make new memories through being just himself.
Life is a journey where we must all keep going, yet I realized we all need to take some time to do nothing but just breathe.
If you don’t take breathing space, you will lose yourself amidst the busy world population. The world will move on with or without you. I would say don’t lose your footing to compete with the ever-moving population. Don’t compete to be in the crowd. Be yourself and just breathe. I tell everyone to inhale and exhale. I guess in this routine, exhaling all worries is far more important as then you can automatically inhale positive vibes.
Today, the world population is skipping a breath to go ahead of everything. In school, in college, at the workplace, or even at home, everyone is in a rush trying to go ahead. I was walking my baby boy Moo when another dog and his mommy came to the dog park. I watched the woman walk her dog without a leash and then quickly run out of the park. She never picked up the doggy doo or even watched her dog as she was busy on her phone. Her eyes were glued to her phone the whole time. I don’t think she even saw there was another dog before her in the dog park. I wondered why she did not pay attention or pick up after her dog and help keep the dog park clean. I guess this is the new norm of our society. You move with the ever-moving group or fall behind. I chose to be steady and observant, and stay in my own line at my own pace, not behind or ahead.
Another night, I heard a lot of police sirens on the streets below.
As I looked down to see what was going on, I saw a horrific sight. A car trying to take a right turn flipped over and hit three other cars. I missed how it happened but only saw the police trying to fix the trouble and save lives. I again thought what was the rush that the car flipped because he or she did not have time to slow down, or maybe was on the phone. I don’t know what happened as everything was cleared up by the time I tried to see what was going on. The sight of ambulances taking people away was just too much for my soul.
A few days ago, in the San Diego Bay, I saw a search helicopter flying over the cold and dark waters as ambulances, police, and firefighters were all rushing to the same spot.
I wondered what now? I took a deep breath hoping it’s probably nothing. Yet in the news, there it was. A pickup truck had fallen into the San Diego Bay. Onlookers helped one individual out of the water while the rescue team pulled two individuals out from the vehicle. I only told myself about a wonderful night by the bay with restaurants and vacationers it could have been. What could have been done differently? Maybe if they had just paused or taken time, the night could have been different. A lot of stories have come out about the incident. I will refrain from any comments as the incident is still under investigation. The relatives all need their own time and space to mourn this tragic incident. Yes, I did my breathing exercise to bring in positive vibes and let go of all the negative vibes.
Now let me ask you, is it that hard to take some time out and just breathe?
Let go of trying to be there first. Just say no to all the frenzies of life. Yes, I know life moves on with or without anyone, yet life is more valuable than saving time.
Today at sunset, stop and enjoy the sun setting. You won’t be able to catch your breath as soon it will be dark, and all the obstacles of the dark night shall befall. Take time out and watch the stars for they are trying to tell you a story. They are trying to guide you as they watch the glorious moon shine upon the Earth. The night’s struggles will dissolve as the first light of dawn appears. So, this morning, take some time and do your morning meditation. Try the breathing exercises. Approach dawn’s glory with a smile and let the world know how wonderful the sunrise is. Even though your life might be filled with obstacles, life is about believing in dawn and its glory!
Believe all the troubles will pass for they will.
You too will have your time, but remember life is not a marathon judged by who is first, or how many things you have achieved. It’s about your personal journey, and the lessons you learned and will leave for the travelers behind you.
In this life, I have learned to never weigh my achievements or lack of with others. I know life is about being able to just breathe. If there is breath in our bodies, we can achieve something. We can walk with the crowd or alone. Yet if the body is lifeless, then the story of that individual life ends. When and where the heart beats, it’s then and there the heart feels.
Once upon a time, I had written my prayer poems I call songs in the pages of my diaries.
The pages found no life as they were just loose papers that never found a place in a book. I was too busy with all the troubles of life to pay attention to the calling of my life. The burdens came and fell upon me so hard that I was lost and stranded as I could not find a way out. So, I took a breathing space. With guidance from my dreams and faith in myself, I published my first book of songs. I realized each book after that was a different story, different song and for a different crowd. Not everyone will appreciate the hard work or the songs and stories. That’s all right as these are my stories, and my songs. I cannot please everyone but just do my job to the best of my ability.
If I waited to have the perfect time and the perfect story which would please everyone, then my stories would never have been published. Without any book or any competition, no one would have had anything to criticize or appreciate. So, to please everyone, do I hide myself in the crowd and walk at their pace? Or, should I do right by sharing my stories and my books with the world, completely honestly being myself?
I chose to not be in the crowd but do the right thing by being myself.
I published my books for all to enjoy and knew it’s okay if some don’t. I knew I would have been unhappy if the story I had in my heart would have been lost like a loose paper of a diary if I hid it to please the others. So, with faith and hope on my side, I decided to write my books and live my life with dignity and courage, not to please the others but myself while being there for the others. If a person loses his or herself to only please the others, then they can’t be there for anyone, not even themselves.
Life is a journey where people have criticized penicillin, the antibiotic, and its creator as it might give side effects to some. Yet maybe, we should look at the lives it has saved, not the criticism.
Today, whatever you are doing, take some time out.
Take a break and think why you are trying to compete with the world where there will always be a person before you and after you. It doesn’t mean you aren’t there, or you don’t matter. You do matter even when no one notices you or ignores you.
I told my social media manager why she volunteered to work for me. She said because she believes in me. I told her I believe in her too as her positive energies, her honorable manners, and her smiling happy face make my days. I don’t worry about followers or likes or not, as I can’t change myself and be someone else to only get the numbers. When a positive person enters the room, I know whatever they do in life they will be successful as they are so positive that life will give them back positivity. The morning sun and its silent presence gives all of us so much positive boosts, yet we only realize when the day is cloudy.
Tonight, I would want all of you to take a moment and just breathe in all the positive vibes and achievements.
Simple example of an achievement is, you are healthy, or have recovered, or are trying to recover. That’s an achievement. You found another sunrise in your life and that’s a positive achievement. Don’t try to think of the mountains you want to climb, but the path you are able to walk upon today as an achievement.
Tonight, as you come home from work, school, or maybe walking your dogs, appreciate the sky above you and the path below you. As you have them, you can always take a journey through the life you want, the life you planned and the life that arrived for you. Enjoy life and don’t rush to be at the end or be the winner of the race. Remember life is a journey where we will all end up at the same destination sooner or later. So, take this one life as a book you have written and just enjoy it. Maybe there are no paranormal actions or the Vrederic family members to intercede, but then you can just read my Kasteel Vrederic books and get a break. Go on and read the latest book, Woman In The Mirror, and travel through different countries and maybe learn from them. Life is about not giving up but believing in yourself.
My message to all of you is take a breathing space and let others get some breathing spaces too.
Don’t pressure others to speed when driving. Don’t drive or walk with cellphones on when outside. Please don’t ignore or look down at your neighbors, as you are too busy on the phone. Take time and breathe.
Let go of all the distractions and worries that come your way. Don’t ignore the troubles of life, as with time and space, you will solve your troubles if you keep on breathing. Tonight, if you can’t solve anything it’s all right, you will another night if you don’t rush and don’t forget to breathe. As I watched the waters of the San Diego Bay shining in the sparkling sun’s rays the morning after, I only wondered if the driver of the pickup truck had just taken a short break and slowed down, today all three would have been breathing.
Yet maybe it was their time and for me to breathe easier, I must believe it was their time. The message they had left behind for all is take your time. I don’t know what happened in this incident, but if you are driving don’t speed and honk at other drivers forcing them to speed. Don’t speed and stop breathing. The unknown strangers whom I never knew and never will know, but only knew their lives were cut short. I will pray for them.
Tonight, I am sending my prayers out through this blog to all of your doors to let go of all the worries for tonight and know dawn will break open soon.
Nothing is permanent, not the happy days, nor the sad days, so whatever your life has brought to you will pass. Remember to just breathe. Place a note on your door, your kitchen, and on your bedside table which says, “Just Breathe.”
Sending my prayers, blessings, and love!
