Your breath is a wonderful metaphor for your life.
Each moment we're faced with a new breath that has nothing to do with the previous one, and nothing to do with the next one. All we have is the air we're breathing right here, right now, one inhale and one exhale at a time.
You don't have to remember how bad, or how great your previous breath was to fully experience the present one. Each is just as important as the last, and just as important as the next. Yet you can only ever experience one at a time.
Just like we can't breath two breaths at a time, we can't live two moments at a time.
Yet somehow, our minds convince us we can. They distract us so much that our consciousness is pulled away from what's in front of us, and into situations that are completely irrelevant, leaving us no choice but to interact with reality through the filter of our past and future.
The breath you took 1 second ago is just as irrelevant as the one from 20 years ago. You don't have to remember it, because if you breathe it fully, it will touch the depths of your being and be enough. Dare to hold onto it though, and it'll completely mess up your current breath.
Wherever you are, pause and take in the moment unfolding in front of you. Notice the breath you inhale and exhale while reading this. This is all you have, and it's all you need. You can't breathe in the past or the future, so why are you living there?
Each breath is like the moment that appears in front of you. If you live your life like you breathe your air - a continuous and harmonious interaction - you might find that things aren't so bad after all. You might see that where you are is exactly where you're supposed to be, for no other reason than that you're here, and that's the only place you could ever be. Right here, right now, in this moment, with this breath.
Live with substance!
Gabe Orlowitz
