Trying to Breathe

I’ve been trying to stay centered on peace and joy.
It’s that time of year, after all — the season of light, of calm, of remembering what matters

But the truth is, I’m still standing in the middle of a mess.

A driver ran into my house.
The damage is real. The disruption lingers.
And the insurance process — slow, unclear, incomplete — has added another layer of strain. There are unanswered questions. Partial approvals. An estimate that far exceeds what’s been offered. Unnerving silence where communication should be.

And here I am, trying to figure out what comes next.

I’m sharing this not because my story is unique — it isn’t. This is how life works. This is how unexpected things arrive. This is how we end up in hard places, still trying to function, still trying to breathe.

Some days feel especially dark.

I notice the anger. The tightness in my chest. The urge to replay conversations, searching for something I might have said or misunderstood, to solve everything all at once. I know anger doesn’t repair walls. It doesn’t move claims forward. It doesn’t bring clarity.

So I come back to the smallest things I can control.

One breath.
One step.
One moment of noticing something beautiful — even though that feels out of place right now.

I remind myself that peace is something I have to work on every day.  I need to return to it again and again while things are still unresolved.

This is me working through a dark time.
This is me trying to stay soft without being naive.
This is me choosing not to carry anger, even when I have every reason to feel it.

And if you’re walking through something hard too, know that I get it. This is hard work.

Be courageous with me —breathe — and keep breathing — until the next step becomes clear.

Here’s What I Am Going Do Right Now

Breathe in slowly, reminding myself that everything is safe in this moment.
Breathe out gently, releasing what I cannot solve today.
Feel my heart and rest, just here, just now.

This is my one step
And this is enough.