Breathe Deeply…

As I sit here trying to make sense of this year, I cannot clear my mind of the imagery of a white police officer with his knee on the neck of a black man as he cried out, “I can’t breathe.” This image has disturbed me at a level I cannot articulate. Growing up on the Southside of Chicago, I have always been aware of police brutality and injustices that are perpetrated against black people in America. In recent years we have witnessed viral videos of white people shooting unarmed black men. We have suffered the loss of black women who have been mishandled and died due to fatal policing tactics. We’ve sat through trials praying for a justice that seems to be eluding us with each incident.

These images are not new. I was born May 16, 1963, during the Civil Rights Movement with images of white police officers, dogs and water hoses pointed at black people as they marched for voting rights, the right to eat at restaurants, drink from water fountains and use of the same rest rooms as white people. I grew up hearing my family discuss issues of racism around the dinner table and family gatherings. Yet, these same conversations are now being had at my kitchen table with my own children. We are drilling our children on the proper body language they must use when engaging white police officers. We are preparing them mentally, socially and spiritually on how to handle racial profiling and the micro-aggressions they will experience in the workplace, the classroom, on social media, the arts, music and communities of faith where majority culture and worship styles are viewed as the standard.

All of these realities have collided for me with the recent killings of Amhad Arbery, Breona Taylor and George Floyd. Perhaps it’s different for me because we are yet in the middle of a global pandemic. Life as we know it has been radically altered. We have been sheltered in place for more than 90 days. We have vacated the malls, restaurants, movie theatres and places that we frequent for social gathering. Our sanctuaries are empty, and we have been forced to create spiritual communities virtually.  

In the midst of it all, I just need to breathe. I need to breathe deeply because breath is something that I may have taken for granted. Breathing is a function of our autonomic nervous system, meaning, it happens automatically, we don’t have to think about it. However, when something happens that constricts our ability to breathe, we become vividly aware of each breathe and how vital breathing is to our ability to survive.

We have been advised, breathing deeply is critical for those recovering from Covid-19. Therefore, over the course of these months, I have been practicing deep breathing and checking my breathing periodically throughout the day. Breathing helps us to reduce pain, detoxify, build our immune system, reduce stress, relax our minds and bodies. With all that is going on in the world, don’t forget to breathe deeply.

Blessings…

Dr Toni