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“Boom!” It was a loud noise coming from upstairs. I didn't know what it was. But it was followed by a terrifying scream. I knew it was bad. I ran upstairs as fast as I could. Courtney sprinted right behind me. There was little Jagger on the ground. Crying hard. I swept him up and held him tight. Tears poured down his little cheeks. “He fell, he fell,” I whispered. I tried to console him. That's exactly how our Monday morning started. Jagger jumped out of his crib. The thud was so loud it reverberated throughout the entire house… Luckily, he was okay. We just came together as a family. Courtney went straight to work doing research. Within minutes, we ordered a new toddler bed. My day shifted completely… Sometimes you have to make sacrifices for your family. Jagger and I drove to pick up the bed. I cut my workout early so I could come home and build it. I didn't know if the box would fit in the Tesla. But when they brought it out, I swear it could've fit in the glove box. That meant there were a lot of parts, a lot of parts… Rats… As I started building, I prepared myself mentally. Jagger had only ever slept in his crib. Switching him to a toddler bed the same day brought back flashbacks. I remembered the torturous sleep training days. Those days beat up both Courtney and I. But this time, we talked about it. We had a plan. We were emotionally prepared for the onslaught that night. After a few of taxing hours, I struggled to put the bed together. Jagger was jumping on me, “trying to help.” He's only two, so he can't exactly work a power drill. I was starting to get really frustrated. Finally the bed was built. Halleluiah! Now we needed to baby-proof the room. That meant moving the old crib out. We started moving it, but it didn't fit through the door… So, we unscrewed the door and took it off the hinges. Still no luck. “I guess we have to take the crib apart too,” I said in an irritated voice. There I was with a tiny Allen wrench, taking the crib apart piece by piece. Courtney jumped in to help me. Then it hit me. I felt that familiar feeling of being suffocated. The room was closing in on me, and I could feel my pupils dilate. My heart rate sped up. I could feel the cold sweat tingle down my back as I dropped the Allen wrench for the fifth time. I leaned into my breath and calmed down. Then something new happened during all of this. We both stayed completely calm. We worked extremely well together. We solved each puzzle one by one. We went to bed early to prepare for the long night ahead. “How do you think Jagger will do?” Courtney asked. I looked at her and referenced a line from Gladiator. “Hold the line.”
If we stay together as a united front, we can overcome anything. The reason I'm sharing this with you is because life's going to test you. You'll face a slew of competing demands and unexpected chaos. It's easy to let life's fire drills throw you completely off your game.
This is exactly why we practice the Body Throttle protocol and focus so much on lateral rib expansion. When chaos hits, your “fight or flight” system flares up. If you haven't automated that deep diaphragmatic breath, you'll forget to use it when you actually need it. You can't wait for the crisis to learn how to use your most powerful tool. You have to make it a daily habit. When you automate your breath, you can stay calm and hold the line. You can solve real fires… And your mind won't make up imaginary fires. You got this! 💪
​ PS: Oh, yeah, and we're moving this week… :/ (Life is on Level: Expert) |
