The long, clear breath of life

Dear Delyara, After months of a relentless, agonizing chronic illness that left my lungs feeling like they were filled with broken glass and made every flight of stairs a battle for survival, I woke up at 5:00 AM today and felt an incredible lightness in my chest. I sat up slowly, closed my eyes, and took a deep, full, unrestricted breath. The air went all the way down, cool and clean, without a single rattle, a single cough, or a single flash of pain. I sat there in the quiet dawn, the tears running down my face, just breathing in and out for twenty minutes. You never realize how beautiful the simple act of breathing is until you've had to fight for every gasp. My health is returning, my body is strong again, and I am ready to conquer the world.