Second Breath in Everyday Life

In my classes at The Second Breath Center, we embrace a rule of life that includes practicing resurrection in our everyday lives. Each week, we share stories of how we paused and shifted to the intelligence of our hearts or how we moved, with courage, in the direction of deepest meaning and love. Here are some samples of our sharing: A man who volunteers at a local soup kitchen followed his intuition and set aside a decorated cake—instead of cutting it into pieces—as was the usual routine. Later a family came in with four young children and he delighted the family—and all present in the dining room—with this special cake. A middle-aged woman noticed a teenager with crazy hair and colored shoes at church and after the service went over and talked with her—and ended up listening to the girl for a long time. A woman who is chair of a nonprofit Board asked everyone to pause and allow some silence to guide their next steps together. A man who is elderly and spends a lot of time at doctor’s appointments has shifted the experience from “dreadful” to “delightful” as he now waits and helps others in wheelchairs come through the door. A woman who tutors formerly homeless children teaches a well-known bully to close her eyes and breathe and feel her heart. A mom, worried about her son’s lack of focus in school, watches as he smiles and laughs with the person at the drive through—and she knows that he is a person of great compassion—and tells him so. In practicing resurrection, as we open our minds and hearts, we continuously build our capacity to live as co-creators and to usher into our world profound change and innovation—the dream of God.