The simple wonder of breathing in OLD

Speech to text entry.

I am at Times, a reluctant meditator. It’s like a pill I feel I need to take and at times I wonder what the pill is doing for me. But sometimes I see it. I feel it. Breathing focusing on the breath is a big focus in much meditation. Are used to take breathing for granted. But in recent years, due to many years of breathing dust in a factory I have breathing problems. Coughing fits. Taking a breath can be a thing of wonder to me. I appreciate it like being able to see and hear and touch things and smell. It’s like another sense. I read years ago that the only reason any of us ever die is because we stop breathing. If we are not breathing, we are not alive. We take it for granted until we’re coughing in a smoky room. We get some food or water down the wrong pipe and start choking and wondering if this is it no more breathing. So stupidly so many of us smoke things, that damage, our lungs and ability to breathe and live. When we are sick and find it difficult to breathe it’s all we want in life is to be able to breathe freely again.

Focus on the breath.
It means you’re still alive. The Covid epidemic taught so many that.

Sometimes I have the awareness focusing on my breath to feel the gratitude of it. I am alive. I am not struggling to breathe, and my breathing keeps my heart going. My breathing can make my life miserable with a panic attack or cure that panic attack by my regulating my breathing.

I think at times of all the toys and things I wanted in life and that I got, and then felt empty for it. When I am aware of what a simple breath does to my body and life, I feel full and grateful. I’m alive. I can be sick or feeling great pain, but I focus on my breath and I can almost smile about that because no matter what horrible things are happening to me I’m still breathing.

Sometimes I think of taking a breath of air has a pleasure to it so many do not appreciate. It can have that pleasure of a cool glass of water on a hot day. Unlike all the accoutrements and possessions of our lives that leave us so empty breathing, and that simple glass of water can make us feel so full and complete.