My Anywhere But Here Blog

There are days when the world outside seems to echo exactly how the body feels within. Today is one of those days.

The rain has settled in, steady and cold—the kind that lingers rather than passes. The air feels heavy, and with each breath, I am reminded that even something as simple as breathing can take effort. It is not the kind of day that invites movement or energy. It is the kind that asks you to slow, whether you are ready to or not. It can be an exhausting day, reminding us we are not okay.

Today, my breathing is really struggling—just trying to find a moment where it feels like I can breathe normally. Each breath I take has me wondering if the next breath will be sufficient, or if I will need my inhaler. On days like this, it feels like a necessity to use it—and sometimes even my rescue one. Today I wonder, will I have enough air to see me to the end of the day?

Sometimes I think my day will be nothing but one long pause on living.

On days like this, you would think I would be very frightened. But anymore, it seems I have more days like this than the normal, day-to-day routine days. Increasingly, it seems my life is asking me to pause.

Sometimes we do not choose the pause.

Sometimes it is chosen for us.

And in those moments, there can be a quiet resistance—an urge to push through, to carry on as if nothing has changed, to keep pace with a world that does not seem to slow down.

But today feels different.

Today feels like a gentle nudge—though not so gentle at first—to step back, to sit with the stillness, and to listen more closely. So today, I pause—pushing myself a little less and reassuring myself that anything I need today can wait another day.

I remind myself to focus on my own rhythm, not the rhythm of the world outside, which anymore feels like constant hustle and bustle.

Sometimes this struggle to breathe—and to pause—is both figurative and real. It is the effort to not react to everything around us, but instead to settle into what is.

If we trust the gentle nudge, then maybe life is not quite so hard.

We have to remind ourselves on days like this that we have the power to protect the peace within our lives.

Outside, the storm continues.

But within, there is the beginning of something quieter.

Not quite peace yet.

But perhaps the space where peace can begin.

⸻

The storm did not stay.

It simply passed through—

leaving behind a stillness I might not have found otherwise.

_________________________________________________

Some days the journey is not about moving forward,

but about honoring the pause along the way.

And even there… peace can begin.

Susan Thomas

My Anywhere But Here.