Catching My Breath: When the Universe Whispers, "Keep Going"
Last week, I went for a run—not out of routine, but out of NECESSITY. My mind was crowded. My heart heavy. I didn’t know what I was searching for, only that I needed to move. I took to the path I know best: the one that hugs the water, where the ocean meets the earth and everything somehow feels a little lighter.
Running Toward Something
Living along the coast is something I never take for granted. There’s a blessing in being this close to something so vast, so eternal. The ocean doesn’t ask anything of me. It just is—endlessly flowing, pulling and releasing, reminding me to do the same.
With every step I took along the shoreline, I felt pieces of myself slowly realign. The sun kissed my shoulders like it knew I needed warmth. The wind danced past me like it was clearing out my old energy. The crashing waves? They were like a metronome for my soul, bringing me back to center.
And then, mid-stride, there it was—a sign, literally (I just can’t make this up):
"Don’t look back, you’re not going that way." (See photo below)
Tears flowed through my eyes and I couldn’t stop. It was too perfect, too on time. And playing in my headphones, as if orchestrated by the universe itself, was a cover of Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come” cover by Charles Yang. My breath caught, not from exertion—but from realization.
The Calm After the Chaos
If my last post (Rising From the Muck: A Lesson in Listening to My Body) was about rising from the muck, about learning to listen to my body—this was the moment I realized I had come up for air. The moment I felt the universe acknowledge my struggle and answer it, quietly but powerfully.
Running by the water always has a calming effect on me, but this time it was something more. It felt like an arrival. Like I had been underwater for so long, and finally—finally—my head broke the surface.
I could breathe again.
For the One Who Feels Like They Can’t Catch a Break
If you’re stuck in a loop, barely keeping up, unable to catch your breath—I see you. That feeling of drowning in your own life? I know it too well.
But let me tell you this: even just lifting your head up matters. Even one deep breath, one step outside, one glance at the horizon—it matters. You don’t have to sprint. You don’t have to have it all figured out. Just don’t stop moving forward.
Let the Universe Speak to You
When we give ourselves a break from the noise—when we allow stillness, even in motion—the universe finds a way to speak. Through songs. Through signs. Through waves and sunlight.
That whisper you’ve been waiting for? It’s already out there, calling you toward something better.
You’re not lost. You’re just arriving.
Keep Going, Even When It’s Hard
I still have hard days. The weight of life doesn’t disappear overnight. But that run reminded me that healing happens in the quietest moments—and joy finds its way back in when we least expect it.
So here’s your reminder—and mine:
🌊 You’re not what’s behind you.
☀️ You’re not the chaos you’ve survived.
🌟 You’re not stuck.
You are MOVING. You are CHANGING. You are RISING.
And yes—you are catching your breath.
P.S. If you're waiting for a sign to slow down, take a breath —THIS IS IT, this one is for YOU. Go outside. Your mind, body, and soul will thank you.
A Change gon’ come. Thank you to the amazing neighbors in this incredible community we live in for being a beacon of hope for those just when they need it most.
This is one of THE BEST covers I’ve heard of this song. Or perhaps this version just hit at the right time, the right place.
THESE are the words that hit:
It's been a long
A long time coming, but I know
A change gon' come
Oh yes, it will
It's been too hard living
But I'm afraid to die
'Cause I don't know what's up there
Beyond the sky
It's been a long
A long time coming, but I know
A change gon' come
Oh yes, it will
With so much love and salt air,