Taking Deep Breaths
The first few days of summer break.
It is the first official day of summer break, with school ending yesterday. Nothing much changes in our house in terms of routine: instead of going to school, my 8-year-old and 6-year-old go to all-day camp. But there is some relief from homework, endless communications from teachers, and the hustle involved in the school year. Plus the weather is most enjoyable.
My husband and I were both sitting at the kitchen table with the 9-month-old baby (who always wakes up before the sun). I was playing with Magnetic Poetry, which I always keep on the kitchen table. Since the table has a galvanized zinc top, the poetry sticks well.
After tossing words in and out of the bowl, I came up with:
delirious life we love
“That doesn’t sound good,” my husband commented. “Delirious sounds like a negative.”
“Not always,” I replied. “Like deliriously happy. Drunk on happiness.”
At that point, the 8-year-old emerged from his basement bedroom, bleary-eyed and disheveled hair. Summer break means nothing to him in terms of sleeping in.
“I think we should all do a breathing exercise,” he announced. “You need to take a breath in and push out the negative energy. You can even make a…
