“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.”
Oscar Wilde
Today is my 50th birthday. While I am still exploring the meaning of that duration of my existence on this planet, here is an adjacent short experience I can share, in intentionality.
As I approached this “big one” as many like to call it, I have been taking a stock of my physical body so that I may effect repairs. I was always lucky to have a low resting heart rate but my blood pressure has been rising. Now that my back pain has abated, I have been revisiting yoga and breathwork.
Yesterday, when I was feeling a bit out of sorts, I checked my blood pressure and it was high. As I have begun the process of medical visits, I also thought I might play with numbers a bit.
So I sat down in my office chair, reconfirmed my high blood pressure, and proceeded to do a deep breathing exercise. After 5 minutes or so of doing that, I rechecked my pressure and it had reduced.
While I explore long-term solutions, this short term bandaid of breathing reminded me the power of living intentionally. If 5 minutes of breathwork can start to show measurable improvement in my body, imagine what I can do with 30 minutes of breathwork and yoga three times a week.
As long as we live, our life will have both good and bad in it. We create a sustainable peace of mind, even happiness, by being deliberate about what to tackle and how. I hope this short birthday post will serve as a reminder for you to check your mindset, start moving your body more/regularly, and reach out to friends and mentors when needed to evaluate your ongoing choices.