Yesterday, after a day at the Oregon Coast, my family was climbing up a long stairway leading from the beach and I stopped to wait as my son poured sand from his shoes. When we resumed climbing, I thought I’d impart some wise words to my (almost) eleven-year-old son. Me: (panting) “Do you know how you climb a mountain?”
Him: “How?
Me: “One step at a time. Do you know how to eat an elephant?”
Him: “Why would you want to?”
I sighed.
Him: “Okay, okay. How?”
Me: “One bite at a time.”
He laughed.
That was the limit of my motherly wisdom. So, for a few moments all you could hear was our heavy breathing as we struggled up the steep hillside. I was taken off guard when he came up with his own bit of philosophy.
Him (gasping for air): “Hey, Mom… Do you know how we live our life?”
Me: “How?”
Him: “One breath at a time.”
Love that.
Happy Labor Day, everyone. And remember — from your first to your last — just take it one breath at a time.
Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD. Psalm 150:6 (NIV)