two SCUBA diving rules for the end of the year (and for life)
Well, it appears that I’ve entered that part of the end of the year where I “headless chicken.”
For the last week or so, I’ve been completely overwhelmed by everything I need to do between now and Thanksgiving. Case in point: this morning, before I got dressed, I downloaded some photographs that I promised I would get to a friend of mine. I realized as I did that, that I was giving him my very last thumb drive. So I got dressed, drove Alex to school, and then stopped at Office Depot to pick up a couple of thumb drives, because I need one to download the presentation that I’m giving in Austin on Friday – and I need to pack, because I’m leaving for Austin tomorrow. After Office Depot, I headed over to my friend’s office to drop off his photographs, and then on my way back home, I remembered that my daughter and my husband have been complaining about their friends and coworkers suddenly getting sick – so I figured it was a great time to stop at the pharmacist to get a flu shot. After the flu shot was done (Lord, the paperwork), I raced home because, oh my God, I haven’t really started working yet today; and as soon as I got home and poured a cup of coffee, I realized that I needed to shoot some nature photographs for an organization’s newsletter that I contribute to, and I’m late. So I gulped some coffee, grabbed my camera and returned to my car to head to the arboretum nearby and …
… and then I finally came to my senses. It’s a beautiful day, the arboretum is an easy walk from my house. I returned my car to the garage, and walked to the arboretum.
I’m so glad I did.
As I walked through the arboretum, I started thinking about SCUBA diving. Now, I haven’t been diving since Alex was very young (that’s what happens when you go to dive-worthy locations but now have a young child), but I still call myself a diver and I miss it. And as I was slowly taking in everything around me today, it reminded me of the two most important lessons in diving (and surprisingly, neither of them involve avoiding marine predators):
The first thing you have to always remember is to slow your breath. Because you have to conserve your air, you breathe as slowly as you can, in almost a meditative way. It ensures that you can use every second of your allotted time at depth.
But the second, equally important rule is to never stop breathing — because holding your breath at depth can be dangerous.
I realized that if I kept up my frenetic pace, that the biggest thing I would accomplish was the creation of a perfectly sour mood … and the truth is that by slowing down, I didn’t really impact my day in a negative way. And the best part was that I was able to grab a few photographs, while I was at it.
So, as we approach the crazy part of the year, remember, friends: slow your breath and never stop breathing. I promise, it may make all the difference.
Soundtrack: Breathe by Groove Armada
(For NaBloPoMo 2019. This is day 6.)
the art of noticing