My Breath is Your Breath, Your Breath is Mine.

“The breath of plants gives life to animals and the breath of animals gives life to plants. My breath is your breath, your breath is mine,” this is what Robin Wall Kimmerer wrote in the chapter ‘People of Corn, People of Light.’ I wonder if these two sentences are just the beginning of a beautiful discussion or if it’s all that needs to be said. It captivates the harmony of the song called the circle of life. The song causes us all to dance in a subconscious need to breath. Our exhale breathes life to the plants, while their exhale breathes life into us. Can you see the importance? Do you see the need to uphold our part? Don’t you see there isn’t a such thing as singing harmony without two voices, without two inhales and exhales?

If you die, then the breath has been stolen from my lungs. So, take my hands to nourish your roots, while you nourish what composes my skin into what you see. Take my humility as your invitation to teach me. Show me what wilts your life, because I know what will wilt you will then wilt me. Share with me your wisdom so I don’t cause us both to stumble, because my stumbling stone will cause us both to fall. I hope to remember the times I’ve fallen short, so remind me with the scars I have left behind with you. After you’ve taught me these lessons, I hope to pass on what was given to me from you.

You are familiar to a tame flame. Even in the rain, you welcome the lightening as it came. The fire served its purpose and allowed the ground to give birth to new life. Although, now you have become familiar to a careless flame. Too careless to notice we stole your breath and now here we are struggling to breath. How can we be so foolish to casually wonder why? Why are we struggling to find the breath for our lungs? It is because we selfishly stopped singing the harmony. We thought we could recreate and live without that beautiful song.

So, will you come back? If we humbly ask, then will you give us the chords to play the song once again. I know you have to trust my breath before you will breathe it into your now vulnerable lungs. Don’t just take my words, but examine the work of my hands. I can’t promise to be perfect, but I promise to try one step and one decision at a time.