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There are days when I like to think I have it all together.

And then there are days, like today, that remind me of my tendency to be an absolute train wreck.

So let me just apologize now if this column does not turn out to be what you are used to reading. I will make it up to you in the future, I hope. And, if I come off sounding like a whining child, I apologize in advance for that too.

Without boring you with too much detail, the dog has an infected ear and was trying to tell me such all night last night, before I finally realized it and gave him some ear drops this morning, providing him now with some much needed restful sleep.

The kind of restful sleep I did not have the luxury of last night, as he kept trying to tell me something was wrong, and I was too tired and groggy to figure out what it was. (With him, it could be a multitude of things, ranging from: hes just hungry for a biscuit, or he needs to go outside, or the pain in his ear is killing him and he doesnt have the words to tell me.)

The kind of restful sleep I wish I could crawl back into bed now and get, so I can think more clearly than I am thinking right now.

But I cant, because I am running late on getting ready for work. (A side note: the dog usually goes to daycare today, but I called him off because of his ear infection. He gets to stay home and sleep all day alas, I dont.)

Now, normally, on days like these I would just suck it up and carry on, but as I mentioned in last weeks column, often my entire day is colored by how it begins.

I have an important meeting this afternoon (of course!), one which I need to be alert for, with all cylinders up and running.

Knowing that, my anxiety level is a little higher today than usual (as I said, a good nights sleep can do wonders for easing anxiety, and all kinds of other ailments.)

I did step away from the laptop about 20 minutes ago, to eat some cereal and take my medications and vitamins, hoping that would give me an immediate mental boost.

It really didnt.

So, now, as I race to finish this, get a shower and appropriately dressed for my meeting this afternoon, I am resorting to THE primal remedy for situations of these sort apart from restful sleep.

I sit here now, nearly finished with this rambling, and at the same time, breathing in deeply from my abdomen. They are intentionally longer and deeper breaths than the normal shallow breaths I take at times like these.

And, as I sit here and take several of them, not rushing, just letting my body breathe deeply, as it desires to breathe, I can feel my body and my brain waking up, finally; becoming a bit more alert and ready for what lies ahead for me today.

I could go into detail about how this simple exercise has helped me in the past during emergency situations, but I dont have time.

So, let me just leave you with this.

If you wake up on the wrong side of the bed like I did today, or if your day piles up with a mountain of stressors and grievances, let me encourage you to step back, remove yourself from the situation, and take a handful of deep, abdominal, cleansing, clarifying breaths.

This will restore life to your body, mind and spirit.

Maybe not like a good nights sleep would.

But it's the next best thing.

And if you need help taking those abdominal breaths naturally, just imagine yourself lying down and the Breath of Life, which animates the universe, breathing deep breaths into your body, your mind, your spirit.

And raising you to new Life.

Today.

And every day.

SPIRIT MATTERSis a weekly column that examines spirituality. Contact Jerrilyn Zavada at jzblue33@yahoo.com to share how you engage your spirit in your life and in your community.

Read more:
SPIRIT MATTERS: Breathing through the day - LaSalle News Tribune