Fresh Air

Lying in the grass in my parents backyard I breath in. The air is cool, thin, and sweet. The sunlight bounces off the leaves in the tree overhead as they sway in the light breeze. It's quiet. The world around me is still. I can't remember the last time I had a moment like this. Thoughts flood my mind, "I need to do this, I can't forget that, I must call____." Stop. Take this in. Relax. It hits me. This is important. Perhaps more important than every other task on my list. Take time to breathe. In and out, in and out, rise and fall. Breathing. It's simple really, takes no thought at all, or does it? There is of course, the air we breathe every day all day long, but a real breath, now that takes some effort. Taking a breath requires being still, quiet, calm, and listening. I must do this more often.