Can you breathe?

The other day, I was on a flight out of Seattle when a woman behind me started struggling to breathe. I heard her ask the flight attendant if there was somewhere else she could go to use her nebulizer, but the plane was full, so she was told she’d have to use it right there in her seat. As the soft hum of the machine began, an all-too-familiar sound for me as someone who also has asthma, I felt an ache in my chest. I wanted to turn around and offer her my inhaler, as if mine somehow carried better medicine. Really, I just wanted to help her breathe a little easier.

There are moments in our own lives when it feels like we can’t breathe either. Just this morning, I found myself crying in the shower, so overwhelmed by a situation unfolding in my life that my breath caught in my chest. I felt myself spiraling, almost hyperventilating. I had to stop and pause for a moment. I had to gather my mind, my will, and my emotions and search again for a place of peace. I had to remind myself of the goodness of God, and accept that some things will always sit outside my control. All I can do, all any of us can do, is keep living the best life we know how, taking one breath at a time.

I want you to stop and take a moment to reflect. Pause right now and take a slow, deliberate breath. Feel your lungs expand, your shoulders lower, and your spirit settle. Ask yourself: Where do I feel breathless in my life? What pressure or expectation is squeezing me? And what would it look like to let just a little bit of that go today?

This week, choose one simple practice that helps you breathe easier, whether it’s a moment of prayer, a quiet walk, journaling, talking to someone you trust, or offering compassion to someone who might be struggling. Don’t wait for the overwhelm to hit. Choose your breath, choose your peace, and let that be your first step forward.

Sending you love, light and positive vibes,

Cassie K.

#SayItOnSunday

#CassieKarch

"Always remember to LIVE life to the fullest, to LAUGH at everything and to LOVE unconditionally!"