Breathe

Breathe

I’ve been up since 6am working on a particularly challenging roof issue that is part of a current project.   It’s complex and has taken a few iterations over many days to finally make it right.
This morning I finally “nailed it”. It will be beautiful.

While working, I had a brief chat with Edy as she walked in the freezing temps of the high deserts of New Mexico. That conversation along with the science of the roofing issue got me thinking about expansion and contraction.  In-Out, More-less, Full-Empty, Sadness-Joy….etc…

As a younger man I used to love to run.

At first I hated it, because as a kid I was almost full grown before I was 11 and ran like a dork. All legs and absolutely no coordination, so I gravitated toward football and baseball where I could smash the heck out of something/someone to keep the focus off of anything that had to do with running. It worked. Later, I really got into boxing and that lead to running again and I guess I just grew into myself………………(coordination is yet to be mastered).

I lived in Naples,FL and worked a few blocks from the beach. I’d run up the beach road half way then cut over to the beach and do the rest on the sand at the tide line. The last few hundred yards would be a sprint and I would try to expand my lungs as far, far, far  as possible ………..then even MORE……. before slowing toward cool down.  When boxing I’d get SO winded past round 4 that the “breathing MORE” came in very handy and I was glad I had it in me.   Businesses, babies, homes, offices, galleries and “stuff” all took the place of beach runs and boxing.   I "evolved" to breathe for survival only.

Edy is a long time Yoga devotee and she once explained to me that in that practice the exhale is AS important as the inhale. I had never thought of that before………???   Expansion / Contraction as equals. I like it - “Making Room”.......or More Room as the case may be.

For the last few years we have been ridding ourselves of all the “stuff” accumulated over 40+ years (read hording, on my end).  Artworks, furnishings, household / office / gallery stuff, stuff, stuff and more stuff. It was VERY hard to do initially, as I was certain every item had a deep and irreplaceable context in my future life. Guess what? I have not missed ONE THING. Today I attacked the “Levis” and the rest of my closet.   Goodwill will be very happy.    I have a storage unit that will be addressed next as the “MORE” in this latest exhale……………..then, we’ll just have to stay tuned to see what treasures manifest with the next inhale..............then MORE.....