Last year, before the pandemic shut down our choir rehearsals, another choir director prepared special buttons for each of our singers. We had some leftover, which I happily kept. Children love to receive gifts, no matter how small, and these ones seemed quite special. The button that I kept reads “remember to breathe”. It is a reminder for me to breathe not only to sing, but to breathe when I am hit with troubles and with the need to make important decisions.
Throughout this past year I have reminded myself, my students, my choir kids and my own children to “just breathe”. Just breathe when you can’t get your hands to coordinate; breathe when you are too nervous to start playing; breathe when you need to sustain a long phrase; breathe when trying not to react badly to difficult people.
A few days ago I was hit with some horribly devastating news. It was about someone I had never met, but who is very close to a family member. And I just want to tell him to remember to breathe while he sits in jail waiting to talk to anyone who cares for him (and there are many). To remember to breathe when the police try to break you down. Breathe when you just need that strength to get through every minute of every hour waiting far too many days for the bail hearing.
I don’t know how this will play out…nobody knows at this point. When we are faced with so much uncertainty, sometimes remembering to breathe is about all we can do.
Reflections 