Story-A-Day #228: First Breath

FIRST BREATH

Do you remember it? I'll bet you don't. I certainly don't, and I can't even fathom what it would have been like.

We spend nine months growing and gestating within the womb. We live off the life that our mothers provide, shrouded within that protective encasement.

Was it dark in there? On a bright sunny day did the light bask us in a warm pink glow the way sunlight filters through eyelids once we are capable of perceiving it?

When we kicked and she could feel us, just as we could feel the taut enclosure of our temporary storage space, was that the only connection? Did we know when our mother felt sad, or happy, or frustrated by the extra load we were forcing her to carry? Did we feel the same way, and if we did, were those emotions our own alone, or a shared experience - an augmentation of a singular experience?

When we finally did arrive, after being pushed forcefully through the birth canal, how did we know to inhale that first life giving breath? We existed in a protein enriched liquid environment and suddenly we were alone and naked in a world of air and light.

Life kicks in eventually and when it does, our first moments aren't about thoughts or analysis - we don't need to analyze or process the situation - we simply react. On instinct alone.

Although I don't remember that first breath, I do remember the moment things started making sense. It was the same moment that I realized the two large faces looming over me both radiated a shared expression, one filled with love, anticipation, pride, and hope.

It is the unqualified gaze of a parent that first gives us life as we cone to know it, that moment where for the first time ever, we feel safe, secure, and perfect.

We might not remember our first breath, but we will always remember the first moment our parents came into focus.

They are our creators, or protectors, and our reason for existing. That is a moment that can never be lost to the sands of time.

Welcome Holden, and congrats again to his wonderful parents Mike and Kayla.

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