Golden Breath

Hello World!

Ugh, I’m feeling like caca; I can’t breathe. Just a few days ago, my allergies kicked in and last night, they hit hard. I feel exhausted and worn out. I had a terrible nights sleep, but luckily I had a dream of working with graffiti artist Bansky on a NEW installation. At some point, he had a group of young boys painting thousands of Chinese food cartons gold. Interesting! I think I may be inspired.

I’m just coming back from my super-duper long morning walk; I feel slightly better. As I walked, and thought about my lack of oxygen, I took moments to focus on my breath. It’s amazing how a little moment of awareness can change perspective. In these short moments of focus, LIFE felt different. I felt alive! German philosopher, Erich Fromm says, “Who will tell whether one happy moment of love or joy or breathing or walking on a bright morning and smelling fresh air, is not worth all the suffering and effort which life implies.” I couldn’t say it any better. This is how I feel every morning as I go about my walks. It’s my therapy, my alone time; it’s my time to feel, to regroup, to be inspired, and to just be.

Years ago, when I left Cedar Sinai after my bout with Pneumonia, I promised myself that so long as I could walk and breath (since I couldn’t do much of either while in the hospital) I would walk as much as I possibly could. After all these years, I have thankfully been able to keep my promise. If I’m breathing, it’s a good sign; it means I’m still ALIVE!

Since I was dreaming about Bansky and gold Chinese cartons, I chose this piece today. It’s titled, “Golden.” It’s my latest piece from my LITTLE series. The idea of the Golden Egg as a symbol of greed inspires it.

If we had a choice between breathing and greed for money, no one would chose greed. You’d be dead! Yet it’s interesting that the majority of our world is driven toward it. As if having MORE would make life better or longer; I don’t get it. It may sound childish, but breathing is FREE; it’s what we all have in common. We don't take more than we need; we can't hoard it. And yet a breath of air is worth more than anything we could ever possess.

If to breath is to be alive, then what does being alive mean to you? As an old English teacher would say, “It’s a little food for thought.”

May you have a beautiful week ahead.