The coronavirus pandemic is not slowing down. Even New York City, which has done an absolutely incredible job of controlling the spread of the virus over these last few months, is not out of the woods yet.
There are signs that a second wave is coming - with the number of positive cases on the rise yet again across the country. Who knows this will eventually come to an end.
I recently watched a video about a doctor promoting the method of proning to help the infected gain more oxygen into their lungs. It was a helpful video, and it made me realize how terribly sadistic this virus is.
Attacking your lungs so that you have tremendous difficulty breathing. Your bottom lung sacks fill up with mucous and it hardens which lessens the oxygen intake into your body. I’m not going to get into the technicalities but it’s not pretty to say the least.
It made me realize that I really need to appreciate every single breath I take from here on out. Every day, we don’t even count the number of times we breathe throughout. It’s literally the one thing that we all take for granted.
I’m breathing multiple times, incessantly, as I write this blog entry. I’m breathing when I’m eating. I’m breathing when I’m walking. I’m breathing wherever I go and whatever I do. Yet, I don’t necessarily go in amazement of this thing we call our breath.
The coronavirus has made me realize that my breath is a beauty to behold. This whole respiratory miracle is amazing. How our lungs can take in the air. And how the oxygen then transits through the lungs and into our bloodstream. And how the oxygen revitalizes all the cells in our body. And we do this repetitiously throughout an entire day.
The process is amazing. And I really am appreciative of my breathing. The simplest of tools to comprehend. Something that we were born to do without any need for learning. It’s as natural as apple pie is to the USA.
The breath comes and goes. And then comes and goes again. And it’s just nonstop in and out. It’s hard to describe. Yet it’s such a simple process to behold.
I really need to appreciate every breath I take during this pandemic. Not just during this pandemic, but throughout my life. Who knows when my last breath will come.
But until that day comes, I will continue to practice gratitude and appreciation for the mundane. For the exciting. For everything.
Now, of course, breathing is as simple as 1-2-3. Nobody gives a hoot about it. We carry on our day looking for meaning and importance. But, how can we even look for things without the support of our breath? How can we know what life is without the life support system itself of breathing?
It’s the treasure that we all don’t realize we have. How can we possibly even know what life is without being able to breath on this Earth? It’s that simple. That easy. Yet we don’t treasure it like we should.
Think about how the coronavirus attacks your lungs. How it hardens them. And makes them fill out with mucous. Now think about how free-flowing your lungs are right now. The ease it takes to breathe in and out and in and out non-stop.
Think about all the victims on the ICU on ventilators. Holding on to their last breath. The virus having taken apart their lives and their families. Think about the pain and suffering they are going through. The stressed breathing that they are undertaking. The agony of life they are experiencing.
Now think about how easy it is for you to breath in this moment. To inhale and exhale as if nothing were happening. How it’s simply in the background while you proceed about your daily routine.
The breath is an amazing function to behold. It’s just amazing in its naturalness and how it dominates in the background and allows us to complete our tasks as if nothing were happening.
The coronavirus pandemic has opened my eyes just a little bit more on how important the breath is. How we need to truly cherish every breath we take as if it were our last one. The more we cherish. The more we are grateful for being able to breathe. The more we can see life as a miracle rather than as a chore. The more we can appreciate the world for being here and there and everywhere.
Our breath is our lifeline. And it is a miracle to behold.