5
I wake up this morning and take it for granted: I'm alive. Did I awaken on the in-breath or the out-breath? The mind is already going from the moment my eyes open; it's too busy to notice whether I'm breathing in or breathing out. But, without the breath, there is no consciousness, no life. It is no coincidence that most meditation disciplines include an anchoring in the breath. The word "spirit" means breath. Without the spirit or breath, the body is just a corpse. To what extent do we cherish our breath?

December wind
playing with
my last breath