Breathing

Breathing, we do it every second of every day without giving it a second thought. Day after day, with little thought or appreciation of the complexities of this vital function, we enjoy an endless round of in, out, in, out, in, out.

Then one day, seemingly out of the blue, a catastrophic event or virulent illness comes along and reminds us how imperative this often forgotten element is to life. Turning that simple rhythm of in, out, in, out, in, out, into a herculean task  as seemingly every brain cell concentrates to maintain this vital pathway to life.

It is from the unnerving experience, brought on by a flair up of my autoimmune disorder, that this simple poem was born. Like a switch between night and day, breathing went from simple to a constant struggle as I struggled to lift my seemingly weighted down and glue filled lungs. I walked away from that unnerving experience with a new appreciation of this every day task we to often take for granted.