Take a Deep Breath and Exhale

Have I told you that I’m trying to work out each day of my Sabbath leave?  I’m hoping that I can build in a new pattern of healthier living and major part of this is exercising.   I started to run, okay so I can’t run really but I am running and walking, actually it is more like walking with spurts of running but for the sake of this blog, I’m going to say that I’m running because that is my end goal.  So, I’m nearly 51 years old and truthfully have never really been much of a runner, I’ve often compared my body to more like a sprinter, I got great stocky leg muscles great for short bursts of speed, which results in me then lying down on the ground gasping for air as I try to shove my lungs back into my chest…

Aiyanna and her parents
Chris and Sarah

I’m tolerating running with the understanding that this is a new endeavor for me and once my body warms up to it I might enjoy it.  At least from what I read, people who become runners absolutely love it.  I know people who like to run.  My “older” brother runs and seems to enjoy it.  Brittany started running earlier this year and she loves it.  I have nieces and nephews that post exciting news about some such 5K, 10K or full or half marathons they are running.  My great neice Aiyanna, who is five years old, just ran her first 5K. (see photo of her in her running tutu!)  People at church have “the running bug,” Jen F who is our preschool director would encourage me when I would dabble at this in prior years and Fred Towner is sort of my hero and inspiration to become a runner; Fred started running a few years ago and he and now his daughter are running marathons like two times a month… 

So far I have endured shin splints various muscle aches and pains.  Brittany gives me pointers on how to do things like running up and down hills, how to pace, and most importantly how to stretch.  Did you know that when it is better to run on the ball and toes of your foot first rather than heel first, who would have thought.  All these ideas have alleviated some of the pain of running but I still get a new ache after running and it isn’t always in my legs.  There is no delicate way to say this but when I start to run there is a lot of mass bouncing… chest, stomach, love handles, yep all bouncing about … and that can be a little uncomfortable (I am almost up for a body girdle,) suffice it to say I stay well covered up and am doing weight training to help tighten things up a bit. 

Chris has this on his Facebook page
My best time for a 5K run is 42 mins
that equals a 14 minute mile. 

One area I particularly struggle with is breathing.  Who would have thought that the involuntary action of breathing would become such a struggle while running.  Understandably, it is a very important action and we all do it some more or less... easily enough, without thought, but suddenly when I start to run I find that I can’t catch my breath.  I start to count strides as I breath in.  Breathing in “One, two, three, four” strides, and then I start blow out, “One, Two, Three, Four” strides.  I get fixated on counting and breathing, there is nothing involuntary about this process.  I am becoming a control freak about trying to breath, I guess I am rationalizing that I can run further (faster isn’t even a thought at this point) by how I space out my breathing when in actually fact, I find that I just get shorter and shorter of wind.  What eventually happens is that I have to stop running and walk until my breathing becomes more comfortable, or I stop counting. 

So by now you are probably asking where are you going with all this Malcolm? 

Well, this last week has been a full week.  Last weekend, I finished the tiling in our master bathroom, and it looks great if I do say so myself.  I’ve been on a bit of a cleaning frenzy in the house, much to my family’s frustration (Don’t leave that glass in the sink, it isn’t dish purgatory so that it can eventually end up in the dishwasher!)  I’ve cleaned up the basement, even shampooing the carpet and gosh it smells so much better down there.  I've spent several days this week running my father about to labs and doctors’ offices getting their approval for his foot surgery this coming Tuesday. (Prayer for successful surgery and recuperation much appreciated)  As I’ve been able, I have been planning Jacki and my trip to Ireland, Scotland and England in September (look to next blog for information about this trip.)  And into the late hours I have been working on genealogy stuff because I want to look into family stuff while in Ireland.  Between all that I've been running every other day and then do other exercises on days in between, sometimes walking with Jacki or weight lifting.    Yeah… it has been a full week.  

As I write this entry, Brittany, Elisabeth and I are up visiting Jacki’s parents, Jack and Jane at Dove Cottage in Mt Gretna.  Staying at Dove cottage is a great respite cause this week is going to be equally as busy.  My in-laws, Jane and Jack, have the gift of hospitality.  Whenever we come to Dove Cottage, you can feel the stress leave as they take care of us providing five-star hospitality.  They even put a chocolate on the pillow on your bed -- Dove chocolate of course which brings me to the title of this blog.  Last night as I climbed into bed and saw the

Take a deep breath and exhale, and the Slow Down Therapy book
was on the night stand, it seemed to go so well with the Dove
chocolate Wisdom saying. 

 chocolate  “Oh heck," I thought, "I already brushed my teeth, oh well, it be rude not to eat it” I opened up the chocolate and read the inside wrapper (if you never had a Dove Chocolate, there are little sayings on the inside of the wrapper) my wrapper said, “ ‘Take a deep breath and exhale,’ love Dove.”  HA! Do you know the kind of week I have been having, It has been insane!      

Just what I needed, a reminder, amidst all of what I’ve done in the last week wisdom from a candy wrapper tells me that I need to "take a deep breath and exhale."  I think that I’ve been taking a lot of deep breaths, tasks and projects, but I don’t think that I’ve been very good at exhaling… Obviously breathing has to involve both inhaling and exhaling  But if all we do is breath in, doing all those tasks and projects for example, and we don’t exhale, rest and enjoy the fruits of our labors, we become stretched up like a balloon that blown up to the point of popping.  In between all the projects and tasks we need to exhale.   

Finished tiling the master bath?  Check!  Take a deep breath and exhale.

Finished cleaning the basement and carpet? Check!  Take a deep breath and exhale.

Finished running Dad about?  Check!  Take a deep breath and exhale.

Finished planning trip?  Almost check!  Take a deep breath and exhale anyways.

Finished genealogy stuff?  Perhaps never take a deep breath and exhale anyways.

Finished running every other day?  Check!  Take a deep breath and exhale.

Finished a busy day and ready to go to sleep? Check!  Take a deep breath and exhale.

A God moment in the midst of all this… Did you know that the word for breath in Hebrew is “ruach.”  Ruach can be translated as “breath, wind, spirit.”  In the second creation account in Genesis 2.7, we are told that God form man out of the ground (adamah) and breathed into him the breath of life (ruach = spirit or breath.)  In breathing in the breath or spirit, God made the man a living soul.  Christ in his departing ‘breathed” into his followers the Holy Spirit (John 20.22) we later see the impact when that spirit falls upon them again in Acts 2 and they are filled with the Spirit (Ruach) of God and head out into the community to exhale the good news to all those gathered in Jerusalem that day. 

In our day to day living our all too busy lives, we need to remind ourselves to “take a deep breath and exhale.” Also in our day to day living, are a still called to breath in the Holy Spirit, not to keep to ourselves but to exhale it back out in the way that we live our life for God and God's kingdom.   

So... “Take a deep breath and exhale!”