Beech Tree News Network

DON'T TAKE MY BREATH AWAY
It has been a time of sorrow, pain and struggle around the Kinkade household over the course of the last few weeks and no, it has not been as a result of the election results,well, not for the most part anyway. I live with a weakened immune system and am susceptible to viruses invading and wrecking havoc with everyday activities. I caught what I believe to just be a routine cold, a little over two weeks ago as I am writing this and as of right now, have still not been able to completely shake off all of its effects. My wife has also been battling the same virus or a similar one, so recuperating in bed and coughing until our sides ache, has replaced conversation, around our home for the time being.

I thought I had just about gained a victory in the battle with this virus right before Thanksgiving, so we ventured out to enjoy a meal with some family members and enjoyed a pleasant visit with them. It was decided on the way home that I would return to our home alone, while the rest of my family did a little shopping before rejoining me; thus I was alone when I discovered a personal tragedy for our family. Those of you whom view a pet as “just an animal” will not understand this but those of you who know how a pet can invade deep into your life and heart, will get it. We have several feline pets right now, every single one of them either a direct stray that found its way to our home or the descendant of a stray. All of them are highly valued and thought of as genuine friends but only one was allowed indoors, pampered to the point of being spoiled and really considered as a member of the family. This was the one I found was no longer living, when I made it home Thanksgiving night. That night did not go well when I had to break the news to the rest of the family, it was, well I guess, devastating; is the right adjective, for our family.

The next day my son and I had to dig a grave of considerable size, since she was not a small animal and I guess the stress and exertion got to me because by that night I was back to feeling physically drained and within a couple of days I was fighting off chills so bad I was shaking and a fever that would not let me rest. It finally settled in my chest, like it always seems to these days and made breathing difficult for me, so I relented and went to the doctor, whom prescribed a course of antibiotics, which I am in the middle of completing at this time.

It is a strange thing really, to put something inside your body that is an-antibiotic. Just think about it, biotic comes from the same root word as biology and that word is -bios, which means; living, or; to live, so to put something antibiotic into you means something that is anti-life or against life, does not sound quite logical does it? In this circumstance though the life we are trying to eliminate is the tiny bacteria which are keeping my lungs from operating at full capacity, we are trying to kill a life form that has no business inside of me.

I have also watched as storms have ravaged the state directly to our south and one of my family's favorite spots to visit was overwhelmed with destruction caused by wildfires, whether intentionally set or an act of a careless mistake, they have yet to determine as I am writing this but either way, a lot of lives are coping with loss and destruction this week. There is more than enough pain to go around and I found out this week that although my life is rooted in faith, I'm not above feeling extreme anger and frustration at what seems to be random injustice, at least by my standards.

Anger at enduring the unbearable or injustice is not altogether a bad thing. It shows a soul that still has the capacity for compassion, a heart than grieves is also one that has loved deeply and that is truly what is meant by the word- awesome; the ability to be inspired to the point of awe which is just a pure state of wonderment, usually a state reserved for the very young but it remains available to all of us, if we search for it with all our strength and all our heart and all of our mind.

When we reach such a state of wonder by witnessing extraordinary beauty or extraordinary spirit, we often exclaim that, “it took my breath away!”To witness something that touches you so much that we literally forget how to breath for a moment. Sounds inspiring doesn't it? Actually being inspired is the exact opposite of having your breath taken away. Being inspired literally means having breath given to you and under that definition actually given life, because without breath, there is no life.

Take it from someone who, over the course of a little over a decade, has had several instances where breathing became difficult, when that happens, just about all you can think about is breathing well again, you don't want your breath taken away, for if that happens life ceases. The same can be said for the spirit, it can wither and die without inspiration.

Where does inspiration come from for the spirit? There is a simple formula for finding it, it is when -I- and the ego fall to the wayside in favor of -us! I firmly believe that the only way out of depression is to quit focusing on yourself and to focus on what you can do for others, that is the only way out and focusing on what is best for all of us is absolutely the only thing that inspires the spirit.

For example there was once a dream that all children deserved an education regardless of where they lived or their income level. Learning had long been a commodity for profit, going back at least as far as the Sophists peddling wisdom. But when a dream involving what is best for all of us became more than a dream, it brought inspiration, it gave life, because it involved -we; instead of just -me. Code words like privatization dismantle that dream, inspiration withers and dies from neglect. The dream of health care being about actually saving and improving lives, instead of a for profit enterprise, brings the breath of inspiration, the demon of privatization again, can defeat inspiration, if given the chance.

To inspire, to give breath, to give life; pretty awesome way to go about a lot of things, from our goals in education, health care, planet care and a host of other things. Chasing inspiration; pretty awesome way to go about life or we could sink into despair and bleakness, continually angry at the injustice of it all; the choice is ours.