What We're Reading Now
Take a Breath
1 February 2022
Rachel greeted a new month with mixed feelings and turned to the advice of Christopher Willard and Wendy O'Leary in Breathing Makes It Better: A Book for Sad Days, Mad Days, Glad Days, and All the Feelings In-Between. And then, she paused to take a breath.
Tags: breathing, mindfulness, picture books, rachel read
If you've been around our blog for a bit, you probably know that we're big fans of breathing at Allison Partners. It literally keeps us alive. When added to even a little bit of mindfulness, breathing creates a space to pause, notice, and choose.
I came into the office this morning a little discombobulated. I generally appreciate the first day of a new month; just as L. M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables commented that, "tomorrow is a new day, with no mistakes in it yet," each page of the calendar feels fresh and new. But I also woke up with my mind whirring and my notebook reminding me of this month two years ago when COVID-19 first entered my client conversations. The day didn't feel as fresh and new as I hoped.
I turned to my shelves of picture books — one of my favorite sources of a quick reset — and remembered Breathing Makes It Better. Authors Christopher Willard and Wendy O'Leary, together with illustrator Alea Marley, remind all of us that whatever it is we're feeling, a breath can help. (To be sure, breathing alone doesn't make everything better, but it's often a good start.) Maybe you can relate to some of the situations they describe:
When trouble lurks around every corner, and your stomach aches and churns…
When nothing makes sense and the answers are missing, and your brain feels dull and jumbled…
When life seems unfair and beyond your control, and your face feels hot and fiery…
In each of these situations, the authors advise: Stop and take a breath. To me, that's the pause. They then name an underlying feeling (notice), and suggest that peace might be nearby (choose). The illustrations may feature kids and schoolyard situations, but the feelings still resonate with nearly-fifty-year-old me. And, lo and behold, the simple words helped my day:
To be alive is to have feelings and
emotions, and when you breathe in…
and out, and pay attention to your breath,
you can watch your feelings come and go:
Happy and sad,
Silly and angry,
Joyful and scared,
Calm and alone.
Maybe you can give yourself a breath today.
. . . . . .
As much as I like words, I'm also a fan of the picture book. As you read above and in the past, my collection is a source of inspiration and reflection; picture books have a way of bringing clarity to otherwise complex subjects.
Have a favorite that you don't see on my shelf? Please let us know. I'd love your suggestions to add to my library.
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