chapter one : take a breath

The cursor blinked steadily against the white screen, keeping rhythm with a frantic ticking of the clock that have been hanging- my dad put it on the wall completely sideways, forever. Outside the world was moving at its usual pace.Cars rushing down the pavement to get to who knows where, people darting past the window and my phone seemed like I was getting 300 notifications every minute.
I sat with my shoulders tense; my mind was spinning through and endless checklist of tomorrow’s demands, yesterday’s regrets, and today’s tasks that my body doesn’t even want to start. My breath was shallow, barely even reaching my throat. Yes, I was physically present, but mentally, I was miles ahead, or behind, running a race that seemed to have no finish line.
That is how the modern world i today. We are taught to measure our worth by our momentum. We rush through breakfast so we can get to work, rush through work to get homr, and rush through the whole evening just to get to the next day. In the process of building a life, it is extremely easy to forget how to actually live and appreciate life.
Then, through the curtains- the ones my dad also hung up, but he did a better job than the clock, was a sudden breeze carried the crisp scent of upcoming rain.
I paused. I closed my eyes.
Inhale.
I let the cool air fill my lumgs, forcing the tension out of my locked shoulders.
Exhale.
The world did not fall apart. The world did not end. The world was just the same, no matter if I was rushing and trying to do everything at once or if I stopped for a few seconds, the deadlines did not collapse. The notifications could wait the cars and people outside were still living the same lives they were before.
in that brief pocket of silence, I realized that the exhaustion we carry isn’t always from the work we do, but from the constant, interanl rushing that we put ourselves through. we cannot think outside of the box, nor can we find the creativity, if our minds are running on empty.
Sometimes, the most productive thing we can do in a day is nothing at all, even if it is just for a single moment.
if you are reading this right now, consider this your invitation.
Drop your shoulders. Unclench your jaw. Take a breath. The rest can wait.