I ran into the forest. Sobs of sorrow were wracking my petite frame and tears streamed down my cheeks. My eyes no longer showed happiness inside, instead, fear and sadness clouded them. I coughed fitfully, as my lungs struggled to breathe in the cool night air fast enough. Leaning my head against the trunk of a tree, I took a breath. It was steady and reliable, quite the opposite of most human beings. The sky darkened and the universe’s wonders became visible. The stars that appeared, amazed me every time I saw them. They stole my breath and enchanted my heart, so that I might feel like a young child again. The wind caressed my face, greeting me like an old friend and drying my tears. Dark memories threatened to break down the mental wall I had built up. I battled them for a few minutes, each second bringing me closer to the past, that I had hoped to forget. Why? Why are humans so cruel? I felt my legs buckle underneath me. I let them, sitting limply down by the tree. All of a sudden, I heard it. The trees, they were breathing. The whole forest was breathing. I felt it, calming down. A squirrel ran past me, each bound synchronized with the breaths that the trees took in. A fish splashed in the water and a colony of ants made their way across some decomposing leaves. I never realized that the forest was alive. I could feel it in my bones as a new feeling of vitality pulsated through my veins. Did you know that trees can communicate with each other and even warn each other when danger is near? If humans could be half as kind and caring about others, the world really would be a better place. My breath started regulating, and I watched the life I had discovered in this forest unfold around me. I forgot about my day. I forgot about me. I forgot everything, as I watched. There was no other way to describe it, it was pure beauty. Pure beauty inside of one breath. For once, I could just be, without feeling, except for the raw happiness, that was bubbling up inside me. I could finally accept life, and that sometimes, all you need to do is sit and breathe. The world seemed brighter now, as if you never knew how dark it was, until somebody turned on the light. I finally found peace. As the forest breathed, I breathed, and we breathed as one, because when trees can no longer breathe, then neither shall we.