I’ve been hearing that a lot of people need intubation.

A few more people I know passed away or lost family members in the last few days and struggled to breathe as they held on to dear life.

When I went to bed yesterday, I took a long, deep breath and looked up at the ceiling as the air entered my lungs. Then I thought to myself, “Wow, I just breathed.”

I took an actual breath.

Maybe, for the first time in my life, I felt grateful for breathing. After all the horrifying news I had heard during the day, breathing felt like a blessing. And it hit me: have I been taking my breath for granted?

Have we been taking our breath for granted?

We constantly ask for many things—we always want more. But perhaps, we might be devaluing the most important things that have been keeping us alive, such as our breath.

We usually associate breath with meditation or yoga or think that it’s trivial to appreciate something that functions in our bodies just like any other organ.

But breath is life—our whole life depends on it. After all the world is going through, we shouldn’t take our healthy lungs for granted ever again.

Whatever you’re doing, wherever you are, try to bring your attention to your breath every now and then. Nothing special to do here, except for feeling the air coming in and out of your nostrils.

As you feel the air penetrating your lungs, say in your heart, “I’m grateful for this breath. I can breathe. I am alive. I am grateful for this life.”

Go for a walk or step outside and breathe in, deeply. Remember, as long as we’re breathing, it means we’re alive. It means we still have a chance to make a change in the world, to make a different choice, to call a loved one, to let go of what’s weighing us down.

Our breath means a new day.

Please, don’t underestimate the power of a brand new day. 

A new day might not hold with it our expectations, hopes, or needs, but it definitely holds the little things that we so often fail to appreciate—the smell of coffee, the cute paw of your pet, the eyes of your lover, the voice of your parents, the taste of lunch, the warmth of your blanket.

Let’s put our problems, concerns, and failures aside for a few moments. Let’s revel in the beauty of what we call life.

Not everyone has it now.

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