The other day I was at the bookstore to get some books for class during the 30 minutes of the day that I had thankfully not penciled anything in. I was being given the run-around by employees while trying to find the books in question and what should have been a relatively quick, simple task turned into a frustrating mess of running from floor to floor in the 5-story bookstore not getting the answers I needed from anyone. As you might have read, I’ve been rather busy lately. My 30 minutes were quickly running out and panic began to set in. I was overwhelmed by the stress of trying to get work done for this weekend in addition to the regularly scheduled work, and it simply wasn’t happening according to my plan. I was stressed and very busy and already behind on work and my 30 minutes were up, why weren’t any of the dozens of people in the bookstore taking notice of that fact and accommodating me?? I had a list, people! A LIST. The list is law and that list said that I was supposed to be out of there and working on the next item seven and a half minutes ago!
I had found what I could get and accepted that the other book simply was not in yet and I headed to the cash register to purchase my items. When I got there I placed one of the books I was intending upon purchasing upon the counter, along with three books I most definitely was not planning on purchasing and a journal small enough to fit into my purse. I stood there staring at the clock on the wall behind the counter while the cashier rung up my purchases. Suddenly she spoke.
“Remember to breathe. Just breathe.”
That stopped me in my tracks. Remember to breathe? A young woman that I did not know had just told me to remember to breathe. How did she know what stress I’ve been under? How vatic of her! Whatever it was, she understood. Finally, during that rough endless day someone understood, someone cared! Someone else understood how painful and dizzying all this stress can be and how feverish the frustration of it all can make you feel. Someone else understood the stabbing pain in my chest from just trying to deal with it all. It was such a relief, because someone noticed.
“Oh my gosh, it’s just been such a horrendous day — week, even! I’m just so tired and there’s so much to do and no one seems to care or to understand. You have no idea how much you saying that just improved my day.”
“Oh, no, I just saw that you weren’t breathing and you were turning red. …I’m sorry you’ve had such a bad day, though. Maybe you should take it easy and just get some rest.”
Ok, so apparently the feverish dizziness and the stabbing pain in my chest weren’t from stress but initiated from the fact that I somehow in the midst of all my panic managed to stop breathing (how I managed that one without noticing, I’ll never know), and the intuitive cashier turned out to just have very good at detecting someone suffocating. But still, that girl deserves my thanks. One, for kindly informing me that I need oxygen to survive and two, for reminding me that breathing & relaxing are every bit as important as any of the things on my very lengthy to-do list.
I didn’t manage to complete everything on my to-do list for today — it remains unfinished. But rather than focusing on all the things I didn’t get done, I’m going to delight in all the things I did accomplish today, and they are many. I’m going to reward myself for my hard work by listening to my very exhausted mind & body and enjoy a restful slumber free from the stress of all the things I have to do and free from the worries of not getting them done. Those things can be dealt with tomorrow, but tonight? Tonight I am going to take it easy and just get some rest, but most importantly, I’m going to remember to just breathe.
