The Breath of Life

When my kids were little, I had the great pleasure of walking them 1,000 feet to the bus stop every school day.  (I was one of those mean moms who insisted that the kids walk, ride bikes, and get outside on their own power as much as possible.)  Anyway, each day, we would set out and I would take a deep breath and let it out in an exaggerated way.  The kids asked me about this once and I told them that it was “the breath of life.”  They looked at me like I was losing it or something, but after witnessing this ritual many times, they decided to try it.

As they set out one day with their Barbie and Batman backpacks, they looked at each other and me, took deep breaths, and then thrust out their hands in victory as they emptied their lungs.  They giggled.  I laughed.  They rolled their eyes.  All three of us got big smiles on our faces and continued down to the bus.

“The breath of life” became one of our morning rituals.  At first, they just accepted this as one of mom’s quirks, but then they asked me about it.  I told them that “the breath of life” was a good way to embrace the day and to be thankful for clean air and a beautiful wooded walkway down to the bus.  Again, they thought I was losing it, but gradually, I think they came to realize that it is important to appreciate the world around us.  We started most days, regardless of the temperature, with “the breath of life.”

As the kids got older, they didn’t need me to escort them to the bus each morning and “the breath of life” went by the wayside.  Recently, I caught our daughter and her college roommate inhaling deeply while visiting us.  I can’t say with certainty that they were experiencing “the breath of life,” but I do know that both of them felt refreshed breathing in the clean air of the woods. 

I’m not sure if “the breath of life” will be passed on to the next generation in our family.  If not, I hope some other equally as simple and equally as carefree ritual will remind all to appreciate nature.